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Artist: Thomas Condon Confronting Bodies: Cincinnati public authorities Date of Action: April 2002 Specific Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Description of Artwork: In 2000 and 2001 Thomas Condon, a 30-year-old commercial photographer and artist, was making a training video in the Cincinnati morgue, while there, he also worked on his private art project on the cycle of life and death. Condon had been working on this project for several years. It included images of childbirth, as well as portraits of babies and young children. Dead bodies were photographed with objects on or close to them: an apple, a music score, a snail shell, a key, a toy ladder. Description of Incident: A lab worker who was developing the negatives of the photos notified the police. Condon’s studio was searched; his photographs were confiscated. Subsequently the confiscated photographs appeared in the media causing community outrage. In 2001 Condon was convicted on criminal charges of “corpse abuse.” In Ohio, corpse abuse is vaguely defined as “treating a corpse in a manner that would outrage reasonable community sensibilities”. Now an artist is actually serving a two and a half year sentence in medium security prison on charges of corpse abuse for taking photographs in a morgue. Results of Incident: Condon's request for probation in July was denied. He has been serving his sentence since May 2002. An appeal is currently pending. National Coalition Against Censorship has released an official protest against the criminalization of the photographer who "neither had criminal intent, nor did he cause harm to anybody. Regardless of whether or not he obtained formal permission, a photographer taking pictures does not belong in the same category as a criminal dismembering his victims." Source: NCAC Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Andy Cox (http://twcdc.com) Confronting Bodies: Citibank Date of Action: 2001 Specific Location: The Internet Description of Artwork: Andy Cox constructed two web sites: citibank-global-domination.com and citigroup-global-domination.com as part of the Rainforest Action Network's global day of action against Citibank. These sites were copies of the real sites except some of the links went to sites documenting Citigroup's involvement with environmental abuses. Description of Incident: Citigroup invoked the Digital Millenium Copright law to force Andy Cox's web hosting company to take down the sites, as well as all other sites hosted by the artist that were nothing to do with Citibank. Results of Incident: The sites were shut down, but covered by The New York Times. Source: NCAC, www.twcdc.com Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Ron Haviv, American photographer Confronting Bodies: Serbian Nationalists and City Authorities Date of Action: August 2002 Specific Location: Kragujevac, Serbia Description of Artwork: The exhibition, Blood and Honey, consists of photographs taken on the battlefields of the former Yugoslavia. Description of Incident: During the opening of the exhibition the protesters many wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Radovan Karadzic - Serbian Hero" greeted visitors with shouts of "Traitors!" and nationalist catch cries. Police arrived quickly on the scene but did not react as the protesters, mostly young men in black shirts, hurled insults at visitors to the exhibition. This is the third in a series of incidents related to Haviv's work. A group of about forty people disrupted the exhibition in Uzice on June 5, protesting that the battlefield photographs were anti-Serb. A month later, in Cacak, a group of skinheads burst into the opening of the exhibition and attacked organiser Ivan Zlatic leaving him seriously injured. Results of Incident: The organisers told media that an agreement was reached to postpone the opening in order to avoid a major confrontation. Source: www.nettime.org, NCAC Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Steven Spielberg, Kylie Minogue, Ben Stiller, etc. Confronting Bodies: Film Censorship Board of Malaysia Date of Action: Ongoing Specific Location: Malaysia Description of Artwork: Major Hollywood blockbusters: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Prince Of Egypt, Seven Years In Tibet, Schindler's List, Zoolander; Western TV shows, music videos, theater plays. Description of Incident: Malaysia has some of the toughest censorship laws in the world, with television and film strictly vetted by the Board, which is under the authority of the Home Ministry. Film censors in the country have little tolerance over nudity, sex, strong language, violence or sensitive religious themes in films. Films are rated to guide audiences on the nature of the content, or banned outright if the material is considered inappropriate. Scenes of kissing are often cut from films and TV shows, while swearing is usually erased altogether in an effort to protect family values among Malaysian citizens. "In order for us to instil good morals and values in our people, we have to stop importing films that are not appropriate for our country," Board chairman Shaari Mohamad Noor commented, "We imposed the ban after viewing thousands of titles over the last five months." He added that the move was in line with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's call for Malaysians to "hold on to good values and preserve the family institution". The Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander earned itself a ban because of a plotline in which an assassination attempt is made on the Malaysian prime minister. Austin Powers was not swinging in the mainly Muslim country because the Censorship Board said The Spy Who Shagged Me contained too much sexual innuendo. Saving Private Ryan was allowed but with many violent scenes cut. Spielberg insisted the film be shown in full - and it still has not been seen in Malaysia. Schindler's List was banned for being sympathetic to Jews, though was later allowed through with several violent and nude scenes cut, to Spielberg's disgust. The Prince of Egypt film had been banned so as not to offend the country's majority Muslim population. Film Censorship Board chairman said: "We found it insensitive for religious and moral reasons. Because of the many races in Malaysia, religion is a very sensitive issue." A second run of the hit show The Vagina Monologues has been banned too. Authorities in the capital city Kuala Lumpur have ruled the show cannot return because of "complaints from a number of people. Other titles to be blacklisted included Ally McBeal episode The Queen Bee, and two editions of hit sitcom Friends - The Video Tape and But I'm A Cheerleader. Results of Incident: Possession, distribution or the sale of banned titles in any form in Malaysia is punishable by a maximum 30,000 ringgit (£5,200) fine and three years in jail. Source: www.bbc.co.uk Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Anonymous Confronting Bodies: Italian Police Date of Action: June 2002 Specific Location: Internet Description of Artwork: The sites, created in Rome and hosted by internet service providers in the United States, according to the police, contained both God and Mary described in unholy terms, and images of sex scenes appeared next to their names. Description of Incident: Blasphemy is illegal in Catholic Italy. While bad language has been decriminalised, it still remains an offence to broadcast sacrilegious content. In an operation police removed the content from the site and replaced it with the symbol of the special unit involved. Police said their censoring of the sites was done so that the "precious freedom of expression" was not used to offend "the dignity of people". Results of Incident: A man from Rome may be charged, although it remains unclear what the charges would be. Blasphemy is illegal in Catholic Italy. While bad language has been decriminalised, it still remains an offence to broadcast sacrilegious content. Source: www.bbc.co.uk, NCAC Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Anand Patwardhan http://www.patwardhan.com/ Confronting Bodies: The Central Board of Film Certification of India Date of Action: August 2002 Specific Location: Delhi, India Description of Artwork: An anti-war film about nuclear testing and the 11 September atrocities. It features scenes depicting the euphoria surrounding the first successful nuclear tests in 1998 and the planes flying into New York's World Trade Center. The film slips seamlessly from a description of home made jingoism to focus on how an aggressive United States has become a role model, its doctrine of "Might is Right" only too well-absorbed by aspiring elites of the developing world. Description of Incident: "War and Peace" has been deemed too provocative by the country's film censors. The Central Board of Film Certification said the film "may have the effect of desensitising or dehumanising people". Critics have argued the decision to order the cuts is an attempt to control the Indian media in favour of the ruling coalition government led by Hindu nationalists. Scenes that could be stripped include footage of Mohandas Gandhi minutes before he was shot in 1948, and pictures of Hindus slashing their hands to sign their names on messages of congratulations for the nuclear tests. Results of Incident: Patwardhan says if any cuts were made to the three-hour film it would ruin it. He is appealing to the Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi. Source: www.bbc.co.uk, NCAC, www.patwardhan.com/ Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Joy Crane Confronting Bodies: Sue Knutzen, the president of Brookings Arts Council Date of Action: July 2001 Specific Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota Description of Artwork: the sculpture depicted a loom-beaded chastity belt hanging from old, rusty iron hooks on a dungeon or torture chamber wall, inferring that people are still in the "Dark Ages" when it comes to women's rights in USA and all over the world. The words on the chastity belt were: "Bush vs Roe Wade", "Right to Life", "Abuse", "Implants", "Unequal Pay", "Dowry", "Marriage", "Chauvinism", "Double Standards", "Religious Right", "Rape" and "Genital Mutilation." There's a rusty padlock on the back of the belt which holds it to the wall. Above and slightly to the side of the padlock was a key covered in 22 kt. gold beads hanging from a broken chain link. One word hung beside the key itself - it was "Justice" - as only justice can free people from oppression. Description of Incident: The Brookings Arts Council excluded a work from its 25th Annual Juried Art Exhibit, even though the show was open to all artists from the community and the artist had followed the submission procedure. The reason of exclusion was explained by the "family-friendly policy" of the venue. Results of Incident: National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) urged Sue Knutzen and the Brookings Arts Council to reconsider their decision and to return the art-work to the show. That has been made still during the course of the exhibition. Source: NCAC, www.argusleader.com Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Alberto Gomez Confronting Bodies: State Attorney's Office Date of Action: December 2001 Specific Location: Voluntia County Courthouse, Deltona, FL Description of Artwork: "Daydreamer" depicted a boy deep in thought with juvenile drawings in the background, one of which was anatomically correct male red devil figure. "My Father" showed an old man eating with various sketched figures in the background. One of the sketches is a man that for some people at the State Attorney's Office looked like the devil. Description of Incident: The paintings were removed from the Volusia County Curthouse after officials in the State Attorney's Office complained they were offensive. They claimed that the paintings were inapropriate for their original location, a halfway adjacent to a courtroom where (on occasions) child sexual abuse cases are heard. Results of Incident: The incident had reached media attention and the National Coalition Against Censorship, whose involvement into the case had prompted the City officials to return both paintings to the Volusia County Courthouse. They were hung in a different location though. Source: www.news-journalonline.com, NCAC Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Ryan D Confronting Bodies: Administration of the school Date of Action: July 2002 Specific Location: Sacramento, CA Description of Artwork: Ryan D. had been cited by officer Lori MacPhail for possession of marijuana after she found him off-campus during school hours and conducted a pat-down search. A month after that incident, Ryan turned in a project for a painting, which depicted a person wearing a green hooded sweatshirt discharging a hand gun at the back of the > head of a female peace officer wearing a uniform with badge No. 67 - the > same number worn by MacPhail. The officer had blood on her hair and pieces of her flesh and face were being blown away and the shooter bore a resemblance to Ryan. Description of Incident: When the art teacher saw the painting - after instructing the students they could not paint violent imagery - she decided it was "scary" and "disturbing" and alerted school administrators, who, in turn, alerted police. In juvenile court, the boy testified that the painting was simply an expression of his feelings and that he did not expect MacPhail to see it. Results of Incident: Ryan was nonetheless found guilty of making a threat by Butte County Superior Court Judge Ann H. Rutherford and placed on home probation. However a panel of the Sacramento-based 3rd District Court of Appeal unanimously overturned the 15-year-old's conviction for threatening the officer, concluding that the boy's expression of his anger through an art class project was too ambiguous to convey criminal intent. Source: San Francisco Daily Journal, www.thefirstamendment.org Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Residents of Eastlake area, Seattle Confronting Bodies: Seattle's Parks and Recreation Department Date of Action: July 2002 Specific Location: Lynn Street Park, Eastlake, Seattle Description of Artwork: The project was sponsored by Friends of Lynn Street Park Art Tile Project to celebrate and commemorate the tightknit neighborhood. During two community tile-making workshops, more than 120 people drew images of Fourth of July fireworks, fish and houseboats. Others remembered residents of the community such as Tom and Peggy Stockley, who died in the 2000 Alaska Airlines crash. Tom Stockley was a Seattle Times wine columnist, and several tiles dedicated to him depicted wine — such as one with shrimp, a lemon slice and a glass of vino. Description of Incident: The Parks Department had notified the tile-project group that four tiles were going to be removed. The decision to remove four hand-painted tiles from a public art project at the park was made because of their depictions of wine glasses and bottles. "Alcohol is not allowed in any park, and we were just being consistent with our policy" said parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter. Results of Incident: Mayor Greg Nickels weighed in and the department reconsidered its decision. The references to wine can stay. Source: www.seattletimes.com, NCAC Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: - Confronting Bodies: Baja California state radio stations Date of Action: July 2002 Specific Location: Tijuana, Mexico Description of Artwork: Narco-corridos are the northern Mexican folk songs that chronicle the tales of drug lords to the backdrop of accordions and strumming guitars. Description of Incident: Baja California state radio stations signed an agreement to ban Narco-corridos songs, and instead have decided to play only songs that promote positive messages and good values. They also urged Spanish-language U.S. stations across the border in California to do the same. "We should promote this self-imposed regulation to avoid converting into heroes and examples people who break the laws of our country," Casio Carlos Narvaez, a representative of the Radio and Television Industry Chamber, said. Results of Incident: - Source: www.washingtonpost.com, NCAC Submitted By: NCAC |
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Artist: Donovan King Confronting Bodies: University of Calgary, Alberta. The Department of Drama and the Office of Graduate Studies teamed up to censor King's work, AND HIS VOICE! Date of Action: January 2002 - present. Specific Location: University of Calgary, Alberta; and Cyberspace. Description of Artwork: Meta-play. This is an Introduction to "CAR STORIES: WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD?" - incidentally nominated for Canada's most prestrigious prize in theatre - siminovitchprize.com Introduction It is my absolute pleasure to write the introduction to this meta-play, as it is something I have been following very closely since Donovan King & colleagues began their theatrical experiments with Optative Theatrical Laboratories. King has been branded again and again during his tenure at OTL, by everyone from media, professors, theorists, producers, artists, spectators, and just about anyone who hears about his theories and the subsequent meta-plays which evolve. Some of the more colourful descriptors include: maverick, stage disturber, enigma, artistic facilitator, theatrical anarchist, New Débord, media assassin, terrorizer, performance artist, mental patient, post-modern scholar, Nanabush, culture jammer, satirist, trickster, fool, player, “highly destructive individual,” “highly deconstructive individual,” humanitarian, Reflectionist, and “the Artaud of the 21st Century.” Generally those who believe that they are in positions of power make attempts to label King negatively, largely because the meta-play has forced them to reflect, hence challenging their authority. Others with apprehension towards unscrupulous individuals and the negative and bureaucratic politics of hierarchical institutions, praise and applaud his efforts at destabilizing hegemonic thought patterns and oppressive systems. The concept of the meta-play is perhaps the most misunderstood and controversial idea in contemporary drama today, as it draws on what Derrida fondly calls the Différance: the actively disruptive space where language, thought, and meaning are not to be allowed the comfort of their daily routines. Sometimes described as Otherness, pharmakon, the Double, or undecidability; it is an ontologically challenging realm, both fascinating and disturbing at the same time. One good example of Différance is the zombie: between life and death it inhabits an uncertain space. It might be EITHER alive OR dead, but it cuts across these categories: it is BOTH alive AND dead. Equally it is NEITHER alive NOR dead. The zombie short-circuits the usual logic of distinction. Having both states, it has neither. It belongs to a different order of things: in terms of life and death, it cannot be decided. Likewise the meta-play inhabits the realm of Différance: it is BOTH a play AND playing, yet is equally NEITHER at the same time. There can be no denying that there is a dramatic script (I am writing an Introduction to it!), complete with characters, monologues, a story-line, conflict, and other theatricals; but at the same time it is a real set of documents with profound effects for some people in the real world which may affect their careers, reputations, self-image, understanding, and worldview. Some of the playwrights are real people, whereas others are fictional characters. Some have deliberately added their artistic input, whereas others refuse to recognise the validity of their own documents as part of the dramatic story. Often the characters are more real than the people. The meta-play is an undecidable: in terms of drama and life, it cannot be decided. The meta-play can be produced on the stage by a talented director, made into a film, written into a book, or can be used as raw material for any artistic project. Yet it can also be played, in that there is a real story, which anyone can join in at any time, as both themselves and characters. The dramatic story in this case is an extremely important one; the power-brokers of the corporate worldview are successfully challenged by artists. How will they respond, if at all? Journalists, theorists, artists, and others may join the play at any time, and add their input to the meta-play, or have it added by others. The meta-play inhabits the realm between fiction and reality; between people and characters; between playing and being; between theatre and life. Coined as “Global Invisible Theatre” by King, it is the pure theatre. It is “equal to life” as Artaud predicted in The Theatre and It’s Double: The theatre like the plague is a crisis which is resolved by death or cure. And the plague is a superior disease because it is a total crisis after which nothing remains except death or an extreme purification. Similarly the theatre is a disease because it is the supreme equilibrium which cannot be achieved without destruction. It invites the mind to share a delirium which exalts its energies; and we can see, to conclude, that from the human point of view, the action of theatre, like that of plague, is beneficial, for, impelling man to see themselves as they are, it causes the mask to fall off, reveals the lie, the slackness, baseness, and hypocrisy of our world; it shakes off the asphyxiating inertia of matter which invades even the clearest testimony of the senses; and in revealling to collectivities of men their dark power, their hidden force, it invites them to take, in the face of destiny, a superior and heroic attitude they would never have assumed without it. Faced with a theatrical plague that causes personal masks to fall off like leprous limbs and reveals the disfigured and repulsive hypocrisies of the world, laid bare for all to see, people tend to find Différance of this sort extremely disturbing on many levels. Due to the inevitable ontological shock at being exposed to it, there is the potential for a transformative theatrical space to be opened for anyone participating in any way. This can sometimes lead to reflection, re-enchantment, enlightenment, and humanistic transformation; or other times scepticism, rejection, and antagonism. The meta-play is an example of Reflectionism through performance. Professor Steve Mann of the University of Toronto, who invented EyeTap to literally mediate monocultural reality, proposes: …Reflectionism as a new philosophical framework for questioning social values. The Reflectionist philosophy borrows from the Situationist movement in art and, in particular, an aspect of the Situationist movement called détournement, in which artists often appropriate tools of the "oppressor" and then resituate these tools in a disturbing and disorienting fashion. Reflectionism attempts to take this tradition one step further, not only by appropriating the tools of the oppressor, but by turning those same tools against the oppressor as well. I coined the term "Reflectionism" because of the "mirrorlike" symmetry that is its end goal and because the goal is also to induce deep thought ("reflection") through the construction of this mirror. Reflectionism allows society to confront itself or to see its own absurdity. The participants of the meta-play who do not wish to see themselves in the mirror (thus confronting themselves) quickly turn away, but are left with the lingering image of grotesque ugliness, which will haunt them until a profound internal resolution is reached. Drawing upon traditional folly, but appearing in a disenchanted post-modern society, the concept of The Fool is resurrected, challenging and satirizing oppressors in order to cause reflection on their positions, attitudes, and worldviews. Harvey Cox describes the Fool’s perennial message in his 1969 The Feast of Fools: A Theological Essay on Festivity and Fantasy: It is the eternal message of The Fool, who takes the stage whenever greed, arrogance, authority, pride and sycophancy lay claim to the public headspace. These are the acts of real fools, without which The Fool would be useless and mute. The Fool is a looking-glass. She is male and female, he is human and animal, they are one moment immersed in the workaday routine and the next overturning the norms of daily life. When we play The Fool, we are The Other, strangers who are in this world but not entirely of it. The ancient term Narrenfreiheit means "freedom of the fool." That freedom reminds us that in a moment of ecstasy we can sweep away the illusion of so much of what we endure. The Fool breaks the trail; the revolutionaries follow. Those who participate, reflect, and achieve the “moment of ecstasy,” will soon realise that playing the Fool is not only one of the most satisfying and liberating experiences they will ever encounter, but is also an urgent direct action to reclaim the public headspace. To counter the oppressive and ubiquitous corporate monoculture that is so prevalent in late capitalist society, culture jamming through performance may well be the only solution to cause reflection, hence shattering a dystopic corporate reality. The idea will, I sincerely hope, spread like a virus until such a time whereby all human beings are free to express and play without fear of reprisal, are free from oppression and exploitation of all sorts, and are truly equal to one another. Because everyone plays the lead role in the Optative Theatre, you must decide how to cast yourself. Do you want to play the reader, the sceptic, the critic, the editor, the producer, the casting director, the scholar, the player, the villain, the media, the bully, the artist, the character, the spectator, or any other role? It is up to you. Break a leg! Dr. Ropes, April 1st, 2002 Description of Incident: Pages of the meta-play were submitted to the University of Calgary Department of Drama via the Internet (along with other mediums.) The following incident put a stop to the project: October 5th, 2001 EXPRESS POST – CONFIDENTIAL Dear Mr. King, This letter is to inform you that on the basis of your email correspondence, the Faculty of Graduate Studies considers your behaviour to be non-academic misconduct. Your e-mail correspondence has been reviewed at the request of the Department of Drama and found to be characterized by defamation and highly erratic and unprofessional behaviour. Two of these messages were 74 and 96 pages long. Non-academic misconduct is defined in section 1 c) and 1 a), page 52 of the 2001/02 University of Calgary Calendar, Non-Academic Misconduct as “conduct which seriously disrupts the lawful educational activities of other students or staff” and “conduct which causes injury to a person”. Dr. Jim Dugan, Graduate Coordinator, and Dr. Douglas McCullough have expressed serious concerns for your emotional and mental stability and concerns for the security of students and staff within the Department of Drama. Given the severity of the situation , as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, I am placing you on probation for non-academic misconduct for the remainder of your Graduate program. The conditions for this probation are the following: 1) You to cease and desist from sending ANY emails whatsoever to either students of staff at the University of Calgary. Any attempt to send email will be treated as an offense and will lead to full suspension with a view to expulsion. Any communication with anyone at the University of Calgary will take place in writing in a professional and concise manner and should be confined to the parameters of your graduate program. 2) You are required to change your specialization from directing to theatre studies. Dr. Dugan assures me that you will be able to write your thesis on McDonagh’s The Lonesome West. When you return to campus in January 2002 you will have to find another advisor, since Dr. Dugan resigned as your supervisor. 3) You may not undertake any studio projects on campus and you may not engage in any practical theatre activity with any other students in the Department of Drama. 4) You are to conduct yourself in a professional, ethical, non-threatening way towards all students and staff at the University of Calgary. This means there is to be no harassment, intimidation, or conflict of any kind. Sincerely, Dr. Robert Mansell, Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies CC: Dr. Miriam Grant, Dr. Ann Calvert, Dr. Jim Dugan, Dr. McCullough, Ms. Rhonda Williams, Dr. Gary Krivy. Results of Incident: It will be going to the Alberta Human Rights tribunal soon. Here is a call for advocacy: Dear _______, Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Donovan King, and I reside in Montreal where I run an experimental theatre laboratory. I am writing today to ask for your advice, and hopefully some advocacy regarding a very disturbing and bizarre censorship case I have become embroiled in. Due to my theatrical theories and our use of the Internet as a tool for playwrighting, I have been attacked, labelled, marginalised, and discriminated against by the University of Calgary, Alberta. My human rights to Freedom of Expression and Opinion have been thoroughly violated, and the University's ethics are called into question. [Copy of Dean's "probation"] I am an MFA Grad student (Drama,) and this is the case I am having to deal with. It will be going to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal very soon unless the "probation" is dropped. I am asking you for any advice you might have to help me acquire some strong advocacy and legal aid (Canada.) What is especially disturbing in this case is that I have been not only defamed, but my work AND VOICE has been thoroughly censored, all because the Dean and the Department misunderstood the nature, source, and purpose of email which we use to facilitate a form of contoversial theatrical play-wrighting. By the Dean's argument, probably Shakespeare would be censored for expressing unsavoury topics such as incest, murder, and scheming, and would be labelled as mentally unstable and as a security risk! This represents an obvious kick in the teeth to artistry, freedom of expression, human rights (especially in regads to mental health!), academic freedom, and both university and provincial guidelines on Education. Perhaps the creation of a task force would be a good idea to analyse the situation, thus ensuring students are not abused like this in the future. Luckily, Canada's leading theatricians understand my work, and the company I facilitate has been nominated for the Siminovitch Prize (siminovitchprize.com) in playwrighting - the country's most prestigious and sought-after award. Adjudicated by the leading theatrical minds in the country, they have recognised that the theatre I extoll is "among the best contemporary writing" in Canada, and NOT the defamatory nonsense speculated by the Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Mansell. I know there are extreme cultural differences between our respective provinces, and that Calgary is renowned for the "cowboy mentality", however I never expected to find it at the higest level of university education. I am hoping you can help by doing everything within your power to ensure the University of Calgary begins respecting academic freedom, human rights, and university and provincial education guidelines. I thank you for your consideration, and hope to hear from you soon. Reagrds, Donovan King, Artistic Facilitator Optative Theatrical Laboratories: otl.20m.com (514) 842-1467 Source: otl.20m.com Optative Free Press Submitted By: Donovan King |
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Artist: Christophe Bruno Confronting Bodies: Christophe Bruno / Google Date of Action: April 2002 Specific Location: http://www.iterature.com/adwords Description of Artwork: In April 2002, Christophe Bruno launched a serie of large scale poetry happenings on the Internet using Google Adwords. 12000 persons saw his poems in 24 hours. Description of Incident: After 24 hours, the happening was censored by Google. The censorship occured for economical reasons related to the global equilibrium of the market economy of words on Google. Results of Incident: ..."The price of words : towards a generalized semantic capitalism. One of the most interesting fact is that we have reached a situation in which any word of any language has its price, fluctuating according to the laws of the market. Words already had some kind of exchange value, but we hardly realized it : if I insult somebody, I will get something in return, such as a punch in my face for instance. But now there is no doubt anymore. The word "sex" is worth $3,837, the word "art" $410, "net art" is only $0.05 (prices on the 11 of April 2002). Prices are determined according to the number of search requests and an average Cost-Per-Click. At first sight, there may be something healthy in the fact that words may have a price. If you know you have to pay, you are more careful when you have something to say. And if you see that every person who clicks on your link, makes you lose 0.05$ (as it is the case in the Google system), you think twice before writing your sentence. But of course there is another side to this story and I have the intuition that this could be a big event in the history of mankind. There aren't many events like that : the invention of writing is one of them for instance. Right now, we may not realize the importance of this fact because the web is not such a big part of our existence. But imagine the day when a search engine will rule the whole textual content of the web, in which the memory of mankind will be stored.Think of the power in their hands."... Source: http://www.iterature.com/adwords Submitted By: Christophe Bruno |
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Artist: Michele Tuohey Confronting Bodies: The director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Date of Action: August 11, 2000 Specific Location: The Artisans Building at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois. Description of Artwork: A "77 x 77" oil on canvas. Description of Incident: On August 11, 2000, Michele Tuohey’s painting "Butterfly" was removed from an exhibition on Cuban art at the Illinois State Fair. "Butterfly," symbolizing her transition into motherhood and her subsequent rebirth as a mother, depicts two nude women descending and ascending a staircase. An umbilical cord stretching from between one woman's legs is attached to a fetus, with the face of an adult woman. The fetus represents Tuohey herself in her new role as mother. She painted the work around, the birth of her first child in 1993, and chose it for the show because of her pride in it and its highly expressive, personal nature. The painting was hung, but the morning the show was to open it was removed from the Artisans Building wall at the orders of Department of Agriculture director Joe Hampton. The reason according to Department of Agriculture spokesman John Herath, was that the painting was deemed too graphic and suggestive for a family audience at a state fair. Results of Incident: The painting was never allowed to be shown at this exhibition. As a result, the National Coalition Against Censorship responded with a letter endorsed by numerous local and national arts organizations, lawyers and artists urging Governor Ryan to adopt a statement of artistic freedom in government spaces. Source: Oscar Martinez Date Input: Wednesday, July 31, 2002 Date Edited: Name: Male nudes by Sylvia Sleigh [ Edit ] Date: 1951 - 1975 ,1985 - 1995 Location: North America Subject: Nudity Medium: Painting
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