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

The Space Hijackers pose with their riot tank, used in the performance to protest the oppressive police tactics at the G20 Summit in April.

Following their arrest at the G20 Summit in London this April, the same that saw Ian Tomlinson killed by riot cops, the director of public prosecutions recently decided to take the Space Hijackers to trial.  They are charged with impersonating police officers, despite their clearly costumed appearance in stockings, boiler suits, and underwear.  “If I’m guilty of anything it’s of impersonating a stripper, not a police officer,” Hijacker Leah Borromeo told London’s Sunday Times.

In a statement released on their website, the group relays that they

have every confidence in their case and welcome the opportunity to encourage further scrutiny of the policing of the event itself.

If you were present at the protest, and witness to the performance or subsequent arrest, the artists request that you please contact their legal team.

Thanks, Marc!

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Organizers of Art of Democracy, the national coalition of political art exhibitions, were recently told that their show would not hang at the Addison Street Windows Gallery as planned.  Due to be mounted on October 20, the show was called off by gallery curator Carol Brighton, who cited city guidelines that, according to Mark Vallen, “allegedly proscribe the depiction of guns in works of public art.”  Instead, the exhibit opened last week at Berkeley’s Pueblo Nuevo Gallery.  More at Mark Vallen’s Art for A Change site…

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I recently read about Disaboom.com’s advertising strategy that the agency Cowboy put together. The ads feature disabled men and women’s stories about becoming disabled, and the positive changes brought about in their lives as a result. Cowboy put together video spots, web pages, and banner advertisements to simultaneously promote Disaboom and further the organization’s mission.

After yesterday’s post about whether designers can or should change the world, I think this is a fitting example of a positive impact. AdFreak wrote about the ads wherein Angela Rockwood was featured, and her story changed author David Griner’s perceptions:

Will all this make me an avid reader of Disaboom.com? Probably not. But if the goal was to challenge perceptions about disability, this more than gets the job done.

On the surface, this looks like a very disability-positive campaign, though I haven’t spent as much time looking at it as I would like. Disaboom aims to united persons with disabilities around issues central to their livelihoods. It’s an impressive network of information, people, and resources. I’d like to invite those I know who are either living with a disability or who work on disability issues to comment on Disaboom and Cowboy’s efforts. Is this campaign just? Can you see it having a positive impact?

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Privilege is a short animation by Aislinn Dewey that “explores the invisible system of racism and white privilege which exists in the United States.”  Inspired by Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,”  Dewey explores contemporary racial politics through film.  She chose to keep it small and accessible, both in scope and format, to reach a broad audience.  You can view the film on the WGBH Lab website.

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Our friend Todd from Make Art Like You Care has launched a nationwide protest against Immigrant abuse:

Weary and sickened by the growing anti-immigrant hysteria and the multiplying of cases of violence and abuses levied against undocumented immigrants, a grass-roots protest has been launched to spread the word that many American Citizens are against the current unfocused, mean-spirited, attempt to address our broken national immigration policy. By placing one electric candle in their window (or a digital one on their website or blogs) this holiday season, participants will signal to others that they are taking a stand against the hate and xenophobia growing in the nation.

A blog site http://thecandleproject.blogspot.com has been set up to gather evidence of participation (photos and statements of participants) , to share evidence of abuse against undocumented immigrants, and spotlight other ways to take action.

Groundswell is proud to be lending a helping hand to Todd’s efforts with a little design work. Check back for more details.

Contact Todd Drake for more information.

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