United We Stand, by Franco Mattes

Submitted by Peter Moosgaard:

More from the archive of Franco and Eva Mattes, aka 0100101110101101.org. This work, United We Stand, dates back to December 2005.

From the Web site:

United We Stand Poster, Franco Mattes“United We Stand. Europe has a mission” is the punchy title of the non-existent, fully EU-produced Hollywood-style blockbuster: “A brilliant mix of espionage and sci-fi political stereotypes in which Europe, not the USA, saves the world from impending doom”. The project that consists in the invention and promotion of this nonexistent movie is hitting public and media space all over the world through city-scale urban installations and viral communication tactics.

Postmasters Gallery in New York has been the first of a series of art venues to host the disclosed side of the United We Stand project. These exhibitions run parallel to the ongoing communication strategy. “We are working simultaneously on this double track, the fictional and the real,” explains Franco Mattes, “in this sense, spectators in the gallery who are aware of the multiple layers are passive voyeurs, while the unaware spectator, or passerby, is actually part of the artwork”.

Articles about this work:

  • Pop Life, by Ben Davis, ArtNet.com, December 16, 2005
  • A few Good Posters, Rhizome News, December 23, 2005
  • Related links:

  • 0100101110101101.org
  • Eva and Franco Mattes, Synthetic Performances