Creative Activism - The Art of the Prank

November 17, 2009December 15, 2023

The Monkey-Wrench Prank

The Monkey-Wrench Prank: An Interview With Tim DeChristopher
by Bryan Farrell
Mother Jones
November 13, 2009

How the Yes Men inspired a climate activist to impersonate an oil speculator””and derail a multimillion-dollar federal land giveaway.

tim-dechristopher200 During the final days of the Bush administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) scheduled a controversial auction of oil and gas leases on federal lands, including areas bordering national parks and monuments in Utah. While environmental organizations launched a round of protests and lawsuits, Tim DeChristopher, a 27-year-old econ major at the University of Utah, decided he had to try to stop the sale by himself. Not knowing exactly how he’d do it, DeChristopher walked into the auction in Salt Lake City on December 19, 2008, and had a sneaky idea handed to him in the form of a bidder’s paddle. Simply by raising it again and again and pretending to bid on the leases, he proceeded to drive up their prices and outbid the real speculators on 13 parcels covering more than 22,000 acres and worth $1.7 million dollars.

When it became clear that bidder No. 70 was an impostor with no intention of paying for his purchases, federal agents removed him from the auction. But the damage was done. DeChristopher’s monkey-wrenching tainted the sale, forcing BLM to offer the other buyers the option of withdrawing their bids. That effectively postponed any final decision on the leases until February 2009, when the Obama administration would be in office. Soon after taking office, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar canceled the results of the chaotic auction and criticized the previous administration for allowing it in the first place. Continue reading “The Monkey-Wrench Prank”

September 26, 2009December 15, 2023

Billionaires Crash Reform Rallies Nationwide

From Andrew Boyd:

Billionaires for Wealthcare is making a splash!

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The campaign for wealthcare is going nationwide! Billionaires across the country – from New York to California and dozens of places in between – stood up for their rights as profiteers and confronted a coalition of pro-reform groups in the streets.

Billionaires in New York and San Fransisco blockaded delegations from the reformers, putting their well-dressed bodies on the line in “UnitedWealth” and “BlueBlood/BlueSheilds” actions. (See pictures from the NY action here, and pictures from SF here – San Fransisco billionaires also got some attention from Jezebel)

Blue Bloods from Middle America got in on the action too – Continue reading “Billionaires Crash Reform Rallies Nationwide”

September 8, 2009December 15, 2023

Art as Resistance

From Truthout.org, a Truthout Original:

Art as Resistance
by Dahr Jamail
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
06 September 2009

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“Throughout history, culture and art have always been the celebration of freedom under oppression.” – Author unknown

Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have tough truths to tell, and it has been well demonstrated that the establishment media does not want to broadcast these. Given the lack of an outlet for anti-war voices in the corporate media, many contemporary veterans and active-duty soldiers have embraced the arts as a tool for resistance, communication and healing. They have made use of a wide range of visual and performing arts – through theater, poetry, painting, writing, and other creative expression – to affirm their own opposition to the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The first Warrior Writers Project workshop was led by veteran Lovella Calica. To help other veterans deal with their experiences in Iraq, she encouraged them to write. Those who were willing to do so were asked to share their writings with the group. An anthology of these compositions was produced as the book “Warrior Writers: Move, Shoot and Communicate.” Calica has since gone on to lead three writing workshops with veterans, and has published a second book, “Warrior Writers: Re-making Sense.”

The goal of the Warrior Writers Project is to provide “tools and space for community building, healing and redefinition … Continue reading “Art as Resistance”

July 20, 2009December 15, 2023

Yes Men Go BeyondTalk.net

Political Pranksters Say Latest Climate Venture Is Not Hot Air
by Joshua Rhett Miller
FoxNews.com
July 16, 2009

An Internet-based group of activists who specialize in political pranks say they”re seriously determined to expel all the hot air surrounding the highly combustible issue of climate change.

0_61_climate_200 Igor Vamos, aka Mike Bonanno, says The Yes Men’s latest venture, beyondtalk.net, is the real deal. But can the Yes Men — a group that has previously lampooned former President George W. Bush and impersonated officials from Dow Chemical and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — be taken seriously?

Igor Vamos, one of the Yes Men’s founders, claims the Yes Men’s latest venture, beyondtalk.net, is completely authentic. The group is seeking “like-minded people” to participate in non-violent acts of civil disobedience to coincide with the U.N.-hosted Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. Continue reading “Yes Men Go BeyondTalk.net”

June 24, 2009December 15, 2023

Montreal Infringement Festival Encourages Activism

Infringement keeps things loose
Al Kratina
The Gazette
June 20, 2009

Anti-corporate art fest is constantly evolving

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It seems fitting that the news conference for Montreal’s Infringement Festival is taking place at Barfly, the popular watering hole that occasionally resembles a mix between a crust-punk squat and a revolutionary headquarters.

The 11-day festival, which runs until June 28, fiercely opposes corporate influence on culture, and encourages activist art. This includes theatre, music, visual arts and everything in between – which, judging from the masked fellow seated beside me, might include Mexican wrestling or maybe a bank heist.

“Infringement is a chance to challenge any aspect of the monoculture that … you think there’s a problem with,” organizer Jason McLean says. Continue reading “Montreal Infringement Festival Encourages Activism”