VCC 308 Journal: November 30 - Tactical Media Resistence

I really enjoyed "The Interventionists: Users' Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Life" book. The artists in this book have taken a very creative approach to activism by using interventions that disrupt the public's normal perception and daily rountine. The infiltration of some of these artists into maintream media seems particularily interesting. People must react very aggressively if they don't understand what the artists are doing. I suppose that might be the point. I searched on youtube.com to view some of the YES MEN work. Their work seems to critique corporations and how "business" is being executed. YES MEN use satire in their performance about business and politics. The Management Leisure Suit and Breakaway Business Suit was an hysterical project in Tampere, Finland. The suit was designed for their presentation at the conference "Textile of the Future". The suit with a three-foot phallus attached came equipped with a "video interace system that allowed surveillance of employees, and a decive purported to deliver electric shocks to workers." Their approach to activism is daring, yet may be to type of activist work that needs to occur to get the message to people working in a business practice not using worker-considerate ethics or practices.

http://www.theyesmen.org/en/book

During my summers, I work with the City of Toronto, Shelter, Support and Housing, which deals with issues primarily with homelessness. I have taken a keen interest in issues of homelessness, not only in Toronto but, globally. I particularily found Lucy Orta's construction of 2002 "Body Architecture Fover D". Visually, this work or invention seems like it could work for some people who do not have a warm room or building to sleep in. I wonder how the governement would react in seeing these structures/clothing on the streets of Toronto. Orta's work is great activist work because issues of shelter and homelessness are talked about often. This work makes a very strong statement on its own and perhaps allows viewers to think about issues of homelessness in a different way. We see people in the streets of our city that we might assume are homeless or here about the issues often. People have become de-sensitzed to these issues. Even though its a major issue in the urban space there seems to be the tendency for people to turn a blind eye. I don't think Orta's work would! What a great spectacle to make people think.