Resist

Space Agents

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post. If and when I do retire this space, I dream of converting it into more of a database of ideas than a reverse-chronological history of my random walks.

For instance, I like what’s happening at spatialagency.net, a database of architectural practices engaged with social and political concerns. The last few years have seen growing number of projects cataloging design and architecture for good, but I think this one has a nice historical breadth and expansive perspective of what constitutes a design practice. I&#8217m not totally down with the “acting on behalf of-” line, but I like the emphasis on context:

Spatial Agency is an ongoing research project that aims
to shift the of focus of architectural discourse from one that is
centred around the design (= building) and making (= technology) of
buildings to one where architecture is understood as a situated and
embedded praxis conscious of and working with its social, economic
and political context.

In the spirit of Cedric Price the project started with the
belief that a building is not necessarily the best solution to an
architectural problem. Architecture, and it is easy to forget this,
is about a lot more than just objects in space. The project
attempts to uncover a second history of architecture, one that
looks at other ways that people have operated beyond the building,
working on behalf of others as spatial agents. Buildings are of
course not excluded, but the project expands its reach to cover all
aspects of spatial production - from publications to pedagogy,
activism to enabling.
Continue »

From: Social Design Notes
on 26/08/10 | Read More

Architects Out of Ariel

Architects Out of Ariel. A call for Israeli architects and planners to refuse to design settlements in Ariel, a sliver of land that goes deep into Palestinian territory: “After dozens of actors, theater workers, professors and writers declared their refusal to appear in the new cultural hall in Ariel or any other settlement, the time has come for architects and planners to wake up and announce publicly that they will not continue planning new buildings in the settlements. Architects and planners are the ones who implement in practice the occupation policy of Israeli governments and continue the conflict on the drafting table.” (via)
Update 9/6/2010: More than 150 US and UK actors, writers, and directors have signed a letter of support for the Israeli actors who said they would not perform in Ariel.

From: Social Design Notes
on 04/09/10 | Read More

South of the border - Oliver Stone

Oliver Stone’s controversial documentary South of the Border is up for download.

The film examines the free-market economic policies pushed by the U.S. and the International Monetary Fund over the last several years, and how they have largely failed to alleviate Latin America’s chronic income inequality. The film suggests that financial calamities such as the Argentine peso collapse of 2001, combined with Latin suspicions of U.S. drug-eradication efforts and resentment over the selling off of natural resources through multinational companies, also have contributed to the rise of socialist and social-democratic leaders across the region. Tariq Ali who collaborated with Stone to make the film has remarked that”  “These changes that are taking place are not coming about through armed struggle or guerrilla warfare or Che Guevara. All these changes have come about through democratic elections. And that makes it a very, very significant development in that continent.”  According to the Associated Press, “Stone said he didn’t see it necessary to present the opposition’s case in his film. ‘He is a democrat and there is opposition to him, and he’s not perfect. But he is doing tremendous things for Venezuela and the region.‘“  US economist Mark Weisbrot advised Stone on the documentary and was credited as one of the writers alongside Tariq Ali.

From: http://www.resistnetwork.com/
on 08/09/10 | Read More

Using public space to communicate a message

In the ground breaking book, Reproduce & Revolt, my fellow co-editor, Josh MacPhee, makes a case for the role of artists in reclaiming public space for the purposes of educating the public about issues or agitating them to take action. He explains:We live and breathe the visual. Our culture depends the most on sight,
and privileges the eyes… As corporations have spent obscene amounts of
money on advertising and product design, they’ve learned a lot of
lessons about how people receive information and the way we all respond
to our visual environment. This is the environment an activist steps
into. In order to radically change society we’re going to need a lot of
people on our side, and we’re going to have to be able to convince them a
new and better world is possible. But we aren’t on a level playing
field. The audience we are trying to reach is already being attacked by
upwards of 2000 advertising messages a day! 
One of the reasons that the poster is my medium of choice is due to its ability to be reproduced and to exist in various locations at on time. Unlike a painting which may hang in a gallery, a poster can hang in the grungiest of places and still blend in like part of the landscape. The fact that posters are often printed on paper gives it a lower per-unit value and so posters are more likely to stay up than say, a banner. Plus they are light, relatively to transport, and can be folded, rolled, wheatpasted, given away, shipped at minimal costs, and reused for other things like shipping!Art that deals with political issues provides an opportunity for both the artists and the viewer to think critically about an issue, to ask questions, to inquire about alternatives, and to imagine a reality other than the status quo. In my artistic practice, I try to place my work in public spaces where people are doing activities such as waiting or spaces where people day dream. This includes lobbies, classrooms, waiting rooms, bus corners, bus stops and mass transit vehicles. I'm a bit bored with just doing posters so in recent years I have began branching out to other mediums, including online mediums. Recently, I've been discovering some awesome instances of artists reclaiming public space. Here are some notable examples which include some of my own work:CAPITALISM IS OVER IF YOU WANT IT, by Paz de la Calzada & Eliza Barrios (San Francisco, CA)Artist Statement: "By are using news stands located along Market and Montgomery Street as "vehicles to deliver information", we intend to send bi/weekly messages through the windows of these structures. Altering the visual landscape of the pedestrian/urban environment, the messages will be a mixture of iconography and slogans that call attention to the economy, consumerism and un-sustainability of the capitalistic culture." See more by clicking here

 ARTIST AGAINST THE GRAIN, Film by Ann Kaneko (Lima, Peru)Artists each held an oversize letter sign and stood in front of the National Palace of Justice, where laws get made. 

For every artist, the need to create and be heard is as basic as food
and shelter. But what happens when you live in a country where the state
clamps down on free thinkers, forcing artists to censure themselves? Read more by clicking here
 YOUTH BILL OF RIGHTS, Collaboration between Favianna Rodriguez & Youth 4 Change Alliance (Y4C) (Providence, RI)I recently completed a piece with Y4C depicting local youth and their demands to the city government. The final design is rolling around Providence on 35 buses. The youth demands on the banners include, "Right to Employment, Right to Health, & the Right to Education." The youth in the piece are members of Y4C.
 
  BILLBOARD ALTERNATIONS SALUTING ISRAEL'S RAID ON GAZA FLOTILLA, by the California Department of Corrections (CDC)Artist Statement reads: The CDC recognizes that our colleagues in the Israeli Defense Force
(IDF) may require additional support and financing as they expand
Israeli jurisdiction into international waters. Annual US aid to Israel
will increase to only $3.15 billion by 2013. Although our Israeli allies
are thankful for such generosity, the CDC believes that America can do
better. In order to encourage additional tax-supported financial
donations for Israel, the CDC launched the “Blank Check” billboard
campaign. The corrected billboards read, “THANKS FOR THE BLANK
CHECK, AMERICA,” featuring a US Treasury bank note for $7,000,000. The
amount is a daily average of America’s $2.70 billion aid package for
Israel in fiscal year 2010. Read more by clicking here
 

From: Favianna.com :: Art & Activism
by Favianna Rodriguez on 01/01/70 | Read More

Critical Views 5 at Red Sun Press – Call for Submissions

Red Sun Press, our local, movement print shop, has issued a call for political art in preparation for September’s Critical Views 5: A New Generation. This show will highlight emerging artists illustrating contemporary struggles for social justice, the environment, and economic & political change. Guidelines for submission after the jump! Each artist may submit up [...]

Related posts:Call for Submissions: Groundswell Seeks Crisis Folklore
Impressions for Change: 35 Years of Political Posters from Red Sun Press
In Review: Red Sun Press Retrospective, Papercut Zine Library Re-opening, and NYPD Raids Anarchist Film Fest

From: The Groundswell Blog
by James David Morgan on 16/08/10 | Read More

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