Don’t Cancel: Creative Activism and Coronavirus

Center for Artistic Activism alumni in Skopje, Macedonia, “Keep Away” reminds citizens to follow the recommendations of the health department. But in announcing the project, they made special note that “no direct contact between the members of the group [was made] during the preparation of this action – we worked in phases and sequentially. Each artist worked on a different stage in order to avoid direct contact, but also to prove that although it is difficult, it is not impossible to get things done this way.”

Center for Artistic Activism alumnus, Vanja Lazić, had planned to launch this collaborative, community mosaic/mural about saving rivers in the Balkans with a large public event this week. Because of COVID-19, she had to shift her strategy away from a public gathering to a press event. Instead of displaying the mural in the town center, she brought it to a beautiful river and created a spectacular photo opportunity for the press.

Xuman and Keyti (Center for Artistic Activism Trainers in West Africa) created a local, in-depth news program, but with a twist. The whole show is a hip-hop mix tape. One of our favorite projects!

Delays Mean Deaths: An online pressure campaign around drug user health in Seattle the Center for Artistic Activism created in 2018. Visitors to the site can participate by writing memorials for friends who have died and/or contacting Seattle’s Mayor to demand changes.

 The school strike for climate (Swedish: Skolstrejk för klimatet), also known variously as Fridays for Future (FFF), Youth for Climate, Climate Strike or Youth Strike for Climate, is an international movement of school students who take time off from class on Fridays to participate in demonstrations to demand action from political leaders to take action to prevent climate change and for the fossil fuel industry to transition to renewable energy.

After school closures, they have moved the “climate strike” online.

We love how more and more people are wearing costumes in this medium – increasingly I’m seeing this happen in what would normally be pretty staid meetings. This gives more opportunities for community, connection, and hilarity.

A down and dirty guide to leading online courses, meetings, trainings, and events during the coronavirus pandemic.

Website

Ebook PDF

Hewlett-Packard pledged to stop using dangerous plastics in its computers by 2009. It broke that promise. Greenpeace recruited a company-wide voicemail from William Shatner to mid-level managers that sent the question up the chain intenally.

A very successful site that connects people with issues they care about and then connects them directly with their representatives.

To bring people into the political conversation, the Internet Party uses a tool called Democracy OS (see also Loomio), an online open-source platform that allows members of the public to debate policies and decide how they want their representatives to vote.

Loomio.org, online meeting replacement. It allows people to vote and chime in without time-consuming group meetings.

This edit-a-thon’s goal is to increase the presence of women artists on Wikipedia. Originally done together in physical spaces, but there’s no reason it can’t be done together online. And when you make an edit, it’s immediately part of wikipedia – the largest ever encyclopedia in the world.

On this public television show, artist Thomas Allen Harris goes through the family photos and stories of participants “as they are reacquainted with relatives and old friends, introducing fascinating characters to our collective consciousness and discovering surprising connections along the journey.” It’s really wonderful.

There’s a whole genre here, but check out Phone Story, a mobile game which reveals the real social and ecological conditions of creating Mobile Devices. Or Guerras Electorales, which was launched right before the presidential elections in Mexico and shows how to commit fraud at the election.

In Bad News, you take on the role of fake news-monger. Drop all pretense of ethics and choose a path that builds your persona as an unscrupulous media magnate. But keep an eye on your ‘followers’ and ‘credibility’ meters. Your task is to get as many followers as you can while slowly building up fake credibility as a news site. But watch out: you lose if you tell obvious lies or disappoint your supporters!

OG online game from 2005 by Molle Industria. “Making money in a corporation like McDonald’s is not easy! Behind every burger there is a complex process you need to master: from pastures to the slaughterhouse, from restaurants to branding. You’ll discover all the dirty secrets that made us one of the biggest company in the world.”

Virtual sit-in tool initially developed in support of the Mexican insurgent group the Zapatistas.

Another Center for Artistic Activism from last year in Seattle. These numbers represented overdose deaths in the city. The memorial had an interactive element, but didn’t require large crowds to be effective. The flowers, notes, and photos they left became a way to mark their presence, even after they were gone.

Spanish citizens hold the first hologram protest in history in order to protest without violating the new draconian guidelines of the National Security Act

“Pamparadio” was a radio show run by two adolescents from the community of Iquitos, a jungle province. Armed with a gigantic speaker on the top of a community center and an AM radio frequency, Marco Jhastin Anchec and Cledy del Aguila Mozombite single-handedly ran “Pamparadio” as a celebration of potable water, how to make it, and how to take care of it.

Courage Score grade California state legislators on their political courage, revealing how well they stand up for their constituents over corporations or interest groups that exploit Californians, particularly the poor, disadvantaged, or communities of color.

In various cities around the world, people have started to go to their balconies at the same time every day to applaud health care workers for their tireless service.

People in Italy gather on their balconies and sing in solidarity

In Mallorca, Spain, local policemen gathered to sing and dance in the streets for the people in lockdown.

New Yorkers cheer for health care workers at 7pm every night.

People’s Health Movement reclaimed the World Health Day as People’s Health Day on April 07. They created an interactive map of actions at this link.

“Any initiative in the struggle for health that you may be organizing during, or around, the 7th of April can be strengthened by making the link to the global mobilization for #health4all. Also, you will inspire others by sharing what you are doing and what are the main struggles in your country and region. You can also show your support by hanging a white sheet on your window, taking a picture, and sharing it. More information, communication material, etc. (in EN, FR, ES) on the website of the European network against healthcare privatization: “

Social distancing style, in 2019, thousands of medallion taxi drivers parked their cars to block major Mexico City thoroughfares to protest ride-hailing apps such as Uber.

Another Center for Artistic Activism from last year in Seattle. 508, These numbers represented overdose deaths in the city. The memorial had an interactive element, but didn’t require large crowds to be effective. The flowers, notes, and photos they left became a way to mark their presence, even after they were gone.

Our friend Tod Brilliant brought up that more people are out taking walks “so, good old-fashioned telephone pole flyers are suddenly powerful again. At walking speed, they’re seen. As part of a ‘real world’ that too many people have missed, they’re likely to be received with a dose of nostalgia and gratitude, especially if they’re more about community building than protest… and, of course, link to an (yawn) online platform.”