hey geert,
i quite like the project as a piece of public art that invite people to
participate and identify with an attitude of braveness. i don't see the
celebration of particular personalities, certainly not heroism. the fact
that the figures are all standing on chairs suggests that they have all
been made, by circumstances and by their own decisions, to appear bigger
than they actually are; and the empty chair suggests that it does not
take much to stand in that row, that it is possible to join their ranks
if you choose to stand up against, for instance, unjust state secrecy
and the regimes of surveillance. (and remember, a hero or heroine need
not be a saint...)
public communication, and the way in which we understand our own role in
society, is often relayed by such exemplary figures; the narrative
structure works even when everybody knows that these people are not
exceptional in themselves, it's just that they chose to do something
specific which many others in similar circumstances could also have done.
of course, this is not a very differentiated and critical piece, and no
result of adornian negative dialectics; if it was, it would most
probably not be in front of the UN building, and we would most probably
not know about it.
what it ultimately means is up to the people who get on that chair, and
who circulate the photographs, or repeat the story about it - like
yourself, like myself. for me, it is a strong way of asking: what is it
that someone is doing in the world, and does he/she take a stand, and
stick his/her head out? of course, it is easy to step on the chair and
have your picture taken; but with that picture comes a responsibility,
or at least a claim, which one may then be asked to live up to.
so, as a popular piece of making people ask themselves an engaging
question, i like it.
greetings,
-a
Am 14.09.15 um 20:16 schrieb Geert Lovink:
(tactical (media) arts or celebrity propaganda? let’s discuss
this. as you all know, I have been critical of the personality cult of
julian assange (coordinated by himself) and was happy to see that
snowden and manning and the (missing) barrett brown had other
approaches. this art work is not working with these differences and
instead glorifies the heroes in a usual way. or not? geert)
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Speak-Out-With-Snowden-Assange-and-Manning-Outside-UN-20150914-0009.html
Speak Out with Snowden, Assange and Manning Outside the UN
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