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Sublime Protests

18:25 / 19.06.03

I just saw this on my editor's desk:

Here's the cutline, from AP (via Yahoo! News Photos) :
Wearing masks of former President Carlos Salinas, naked farmers from Veracruz protest outside of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) Wednesday June 18, 2003, in Mexico City. The farmers were asking the party to return their land that the PRI government seized between 1992-1998 in the state of Veracruz.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

This strikes me, for one thing, as really sublime. I mean, a bunch of naked Salinases. That'll stop the traffic.

So I thought it might be nice to discuss protests as an aesthetic act, as well as a social or political one.

Anyone have any favorite images or stories? Anything that radically changes the rules, even temporarily?

21:27 / 19.06.03

The most sucessful demo by reclaim the streets. They took over a short stretch of motorway in West London and turned it into a big free party. This in itself was quite a neat trick: I was there at the start and the sheer number of people converging on a secret location gave the police no opportunity to resist it. I felt that the whole thing was essentially an amazing piece of magik with one of the bleakest bits of road in the London, with tower blocks on one side and scrap yard on the other turned into a big colourful 'happening' with loads of sound systems cafes creches etc. Unsurprisingly the party rocked. Half way through it these twelve foot high figures of Eris, women wearing crinolines on wheels that were about ten feet long and which provided a fair bit of room underneath. They looked great but what was more interesting about them was that underneath the skirts, protected from the gaze of police helicopters, were gangs of activists with portable pneumatic drills smashing up the road surface. Something the authorities only became aware of after the party had ended peacefully that night. Cost a lot to put right and shut what was usually a rather busy road for weeks.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

06:31 / 26.06.03

I like this thread idea. Walking around with banners happens so often now, the public barely even blink.

I still like Laces' thing from a couple of Maydays ago... a bunch of placards, some with fluffy kittens on, so if any trouble kicked off it's be pretty obvious we hadn't instigated it, and it would look really really silly, and some blank, so we could distribute them to passersby (complete with marker pens) so they could write their own slogans. We got a good reaction.

20:17 / 10.05.05

Found a new one. OK, well, not terribly sublime, but still -- absurd.

"Mr. Floaty" is new mascot for illegal sewage dumping.

'Mr. Floatie' - a man dressed up as a giant turd - crashed a Victoria all-candidates meeting to draw attention to the city's practice of dumping raw sewage in the ocean.

...

James Skwarok arrived dressed up as "Mr. Floatie," a two-metre tall turd representing POOP, People Opposed to Outfall Pollution.

20:20 / 10.05.05

By the way, the Salinas protest up in the original post -- it now shows up on this page, dedicated to naked protests.

Apparently, it's a far more widespread tactic than I'd ever imagined.

01:50 / 11.05.05

a few years ago a new zealand artist got the local billboard group to put up her ads for 'nothing' (with tag lines like 'you're perfect just as you are', and the like)

some people got angry when they found out that when they went to buy this 'nothing' there was, well, nothing to buy! the billboard group loved it 'cause it showed the efficacy of billboards round aukland...

forget her name, but can get it and links if people want - my signif. other did something on her in a masters thesis in visual arts.

lord henry strikes back

11:28 / 11.05.05

I really like the fluffy kitten placard idea. Could that be pushed further? Protesters tapping into all kinds of cute iconography, from dressing up as teddy bears to little bow peep to dear old grannies. Imagine the evening news shots of uniformed police breaking up that lot. I'm sure the public would quickly become jaded but it would be really effective the first few times.

In Chuck Palahniuk's Non-Fiction he talks about a yearly event in which hundreds of people dressed as Santa just go nuts around Portland. Great idea.

13:58 / 11.05.05

ELF has done similar with Smokey the Bear suits -- distributing pamphlets with statistics on how many forest fires are actually started by loggers (most) compared to campers (not that many) in elementary schools, boy scout functions and the like.

13:30 / 13.11.06

V is stalking Washington.

I think he's a libertarian, but, y'know, nice to see.

The most disturbing part of “V’s” interaction with the law enforcement authorities at DOJ occurred when the Homeland Security agent in charge asked “V” what was the purpose behind “V’s” presence at DOJ. “V” began to explain the First Amendment freedoms and the Right to Petition. Almost immediately the agent said, in effect, “You’re pulling my leg. You are trying to pull a fast one. I’m not falling for the garbage. I don’t want to hear it.” At that point the agent phoned the DC police and learned that “V” was not violating any municipal laws. After asking “V” where he was going next, he told “V” he was free to go.

Disco is My Class War

13:43 / 13.11.06

I'm a big fan of the Yes Men. They do killer Powerpoint presentations.

21:58 / 06.01.07

As a protest, I think their proposal for human faeces to be converted into "nutricious food" for the third world countries goes a long way. At least they got a very clear response against that, whereas the inflatable (penile) workstation-suit , designed to have the manager able to view sweatshops even in leisure time got a few laughs and a polite applause.

21:07 / 24.08.07

Ann Coulter comes to Xavier College.
Equality Ohio uses the occasion as a fundraiser.

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a *protest*, per se, but it's such a well-framed appeal - practically guaranteed to drive Coulter batty.

Well, battier.

16:23 / 17.09.07

Here's one version of an idea I've always liked:

What it's like to protest in professional attire.

My favorite bit:
The counter-protesters on the side of the streets looked at us strangely; one woman whose sign read “hippies smell” was clearly perplexed.

Their explanation of the concept is pretty much preaching to the choir as far as I'm concerned, but it's a good summary of the rationale.