Dedicated to critical cultural production at the intersection of art and activism.

We cover artists from around the globe whose work explores and realizes social change. Our goal is to provide a narrative about these activist efforts while simultaneously participating in them. Maintained by The Groundswell Collective since 2007.

Graffitti Research Lab’s James Powderly Detained for Planned Pro-Tibet “L.A.S.E.R. Stencil” art protest

James David Morgan wrote this post at 2:29 pm on August 19th, 2008.

James Powderly

UPDATE: BoingBoing is reporting that American activists Amy Johnson, Sam Corbin, Liza Smith, Jacob Blumenfeld, and Lauren Valle have also been detained.

Internationally known artist James Powderly has been detained by Beijing authorities.  Students for a Free Tibet are reporting that James was arrested preparing to debut a new work and technology of protest, the L.A.S.E.R. Stencil.  Word came via Twitter that he has been arrested, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

SFT gives background on the project:

The work, “The Green Chinese Lantern,” uses a 400 milliwatt handheld green laser with micro-stencils to beam simple messages and images up to three stories high on surfaces such as billboards, buildings, and bridges. The Laser Stencil technology was developed in conjunction with Students for a Free Tibet.

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  5. Space Hijackers to be Tried for G20 Protest Performance


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