Creative Activism - The Art of the Prank

November 3, 2011December 15, 2023

Artist Stephen Barnwell Designs Official OWS Protest Currency

Submitted by artist Stephen Barnwell who just won a design competition to make the official Protest Currency for the Occupy Wall St. Movement.

Occupy Wall Street Official Protest Currency

On October 22, 2011, Stephen won a design competition to create the official protest currency of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Immediate plans for the design are for currency notes and tee shirts, but it may be used for a variety of materials.

The reverse of the note is ghosted out to allow for people to sign the notes, so that each note will be a unique and personalized document. The vignette is of the NY Stock Exchange building grafted onto the US Capitol building.

For details of Stephen’s design process, check out the artasmoney.com blog.

October 31, 2011December 15, 2023

Anonymous Threatens to Expose Drug Cartel

Hackers Threaten Zetas Drug Cartel
Huffington Post
October 31, 2011

Veracruz, Mexico — An Internet video is threatening Mexico’s Zetas drug cartel with exposure of its allies in the local police and news media this week unless the gang frees a kidnapped member of the international hacker movement known as “Anonymous.”

The YouTube message, which claims to be from Anonymous “Veracruz, Mexico and the world,” says it is “tired of the criminal group the Zetas, which is dedicated to kidnapping, stealing and extortion,” and threatens to fight back with information instead of weapons.

It said it knows of police officers, journalists, taxi drivers and others working with the Zetas.

The video refers to an unidentified person kidnapped in the coastal city of Veracruz, and says: “You have made a great mistake by taking one of us. Free him.”

English version of the video (Original Spanish version here):

Continue reading “Anonymous Threatens to Expose Drug Cartel”

October 30, 2011December 15, 2023

Protest as Carnival: Using Humor to Confound Authoritarianism

Gandhi Meets Monty Python at Occupy Wall Street: The Comedic Turn in Nonviolent Tactics
by Wayne Grytting
Truth-out.org
28 October 2011

On October 3rd, protesters at Occupy Wall Street failed to march. Instead they clumsily lurched. With white painted faces, glazed looks and dollar bills hanging out of some mouths, protesters chanted “I smell money, I smell money”¦” It was Corporate Zombie Day. Scenes like this and the sight of Guy Fawkes masks, clown suits, drumming circles and surrealistic posters all over the country have left many commentators scratching their heads. Is this protest or carnival? Maybe we should tell them. There”s been a sea change in the protest industry.

“A worldwide shift in revolutionary tactics is underway right now that bodes well for the future,” proclaims Adbusters, the initiators of Occupy Wall Street. A key part of this re-channeling of tactics has been a move away from both angry protests or passive waiting-to-be-clubbed-by-police-batons to age old carnival-style antics. A festive atmosphere has reigned supreme in all of the successful pro-democracy uprisings of the past two decades. In Poland, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, Tunisia and Egypt, music and humor were everywhere. Why? Continue reading “Protest as Carnival: Using Humor to Confound Authoritarianism”

September 27, 2011December 15, 2023

Fox News Bit by Street Etiquette Artist

Submitted by David Strom:

Animal New York, September 15, 2011:

Jay Shells Promotes his New Signs on Fox News, Then Punks Them

As we mentioned, artist Jay Shells is attracting lots of media attention with his most recent etiquette campaign and this afternoon he was asked to appear on Fox News” “Happening Now” program to which he happily agreed.

Before he wrapped up the live segment though, he used the opportunity to take a jab at the network (1:36) and explained how he planned on doing a “Fox Lies” sign, but settled for the horseshit one instead. He tells us that the crew on set laughed. The same can”t be said for the correspondent interviewing him. UPDATE: Vimeo removed the clip, so now we”re rolling the dice with YouTube (Should that get removed, News Corpse also captured it.).

images: Trendhunter:

September 26, 2011December 15, 2023

Protesters Bare All Over a Proposed San Francisco Law

From Erin:

Protesters Bare All Over a Proposed San Francisco Law
by Malia Wollan
The New York Times
September 25, 2011

San Francisco “” Perhaps it should not be a surprise that San Francisco does not have a law against being naked in public, nor that a small, unselfconscious segment of the city”s residents regularly exercise that right.

That tiny minority was joined this weekend in the autumn fog and cold by unclothed sympathizers at a “Nude-In.” One of their objectives was to draw attention to a proposed law “” introduced by Scott Wiener, a city supervisor “” that would prohibit nudity in restaurants and require unclad people to put a towel or other material down before sitting bare-bottomed on benches or other public seats.

Mr. Wiener said the law was introduced in response to an increase in nakedness in parks, streets and restaurants.

“It used to be that there would be one nude guy wandering around the neighborhood and no one thought twice about it,” said Mr. Wiener, who represents the city”s Castro district. “Now it”s a regular thing and much more obnoxious. We have guys sitting down naked in public without the common decency to put something down underneath them.”

Mr. Wiener”s effort was destined to grab headlines, but he probably did not anticipate that his legislation would inspire even more people to disrobe. Continue reading “Protesters Bare All Over a Proposed San Francisco Law”