Here a video report of Left Vision on Blocupy Frankfurt.
In the end a magic inflatable cobblestone also shows up..
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Cop beating an inflatable..
New footage on youtube turned up how cops beated a dangerous inflatable to death..
In a way it looks a bit absurd, doesn't it?
In a way it looks a bit absurd, doesn't it?
Friday, May 18, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Under the pavement, the beach! Gigantic inflatable cobblestones at the May 1 Revolutionary demonstration, Berlin.
On the 25th revolutionary 1st of May demonstration in Berlin-Kreuzberg, protesters were throwing huge inflatable cobblestones, made of silver-reflective foil and tape. The creative intervention was initiated by the art-activist collective “Eclectic Electric Collective” (EEC) and was meant as a celebration of an object which is both a symbol and a material weapon of anti-authoritarian struggle everywhere. It also aimed to bring new strategies of tactical frivolity into the demonstration.
A member of the collective explains:
“Through 25 years of riots, the cobblestone has become an icon for protests at the May 1 in Berlin Kreuzberg. The use of cobblestones in social uprisings is however much older: from ancient Rome, to the Paris Commune in 1871 to the ´68 movement, cobblestones have been used for barricades and as a weapon of defense. Taking stones out of the pavement is a favoured act of those who refuse to consent to an oppressive social order.”
The May 1st demonstration in Berlin has long been a testing-ground for police tactics of crowd control and restrictions on protest. This year, 7000 highly-armed and aggressively shielded cops matched some 15 000 protesters, who were warned that a new water cannon, with a 10 000 L water-capacity, would be ready to be used against them. The inflatables are a collective creative intervention against this growing repression of protest and dissent, in ways that are both concrete and as well as symbolic. The experiences of the inflatables on May 1 proved their many uses in situations of protest, which can be summarized by the term “tactical frivolity”. Inflatables bring celebration and play to a demonstration while at the same time having strategic functions in situations of conflict... Cops can be easily perturbed by the unpredictable and un-categorizable.
At first the cubes appear to be shiny, desirable, playful objects; a visual spectacle which attracts little suspicion from cops looking for glass bottles and stones. The gigantic 3 x 3 x 3m cobblestone spontaneously attracted a crowd of people bouncing it up in the air. This brought a strong visual element to the demonstration1 similar to the use of giant puppets in protests. The advantage of inflatables in contrast to puppets however is that although they look massive, they are lightweight and easy to handle. Carrying a giant inflatable together creates a sense of crowd unity, while it can also keep the group moving forward despite a demo having been attacked and dispersed by cops.
Movie above: Aufblasbare Pflastersteine bei 1.Mai-Demo Source: Berliner Morgenpost TV, 1.May 2012
We laughed at the cobblestones as they were thrown into the air above us, the absurdity of their size in comparison with a small traffic light and their uncontrollable nature seeming ridiculous in contrast with the sharp, directed throw of a stone. But we laughed even harder when the cops began to beat these cubes of air with their batons, glad that the inflatables were there to take the blows instead of our bodies.
Movie above: Protesters and cops fighting with an inflatable in-between them. (Source: anonymous)
When the biggest cube was thrown towards them, not knowing what else to do, they responded by throwing it back. In this moment, despite their shields and their weapons, despite their uniforms which are meant to give them the appearance of scary robots, their power vanished as suddenly they were engaged in a game of beach ball with the people they were meant to control. This situation provoked loud applause and cheers from the crowd.
The inflatables action also had the aim of ridiculing the mainstream media images of “stones throwing trouble-makers”. By throwing gigantic inflated stones, we exaggerate this empty media spectacle ad absurdium. This image also subverts the strategic division of protesters into “violent” and “non-violent” and makes it harder to justify police brutality.
Not everyone at the demonstration liked the cubes. Early on some tried to break them with keys, and shouted things like “hippies!”, ”this is only distracting us” or "this is not a party-event!”. These responses were unfortunately not surprising. We limit ourselves when political protest is viewed as only being able to follow one pre-determined trajectory with fixed identities of what may or may not constitute radical action. Many others welcomed the inflatables as an element of creativity in a day of protest that all too often feels like a script whose rules of performance are closed and pre-determined.
Strategically combining art with anti-capitalist action does not entail a distraction from other more obviously militant forms of action. Our actions can only stay one step ahead of repression by constantly expanding into a multiplicity of forms, remaining unrecognizable and unpredictable to the forces we seek to challenge. We see the inflatables as a new tactic in the toolbox of already existing practices.
Inflatable cobblestones have also been used at the March 29th General Strike in Barcelona. Art-activists in Spain are now building a super hero army (“los reflectantes” i.e. the reflective block) who, dressed in silver reflective clothes, will be using large inflatables during the May 12 action day in Spain.
Inflatables are cheap and easy to make. EEC run workshops on how to build inflatables for protest. The collective, of course, strongly discourage the inflatables being used for anything illegal.
Links: Video and images of action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE8EB4hd-BI&list=UU7Z2Z_qjp3iDp9Ek5Vi6Xqg&index=8&feature=plcp Inflatable
Tutorial by the Eclectic Electric Collective in Barcelona, Spain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w-8JYZLub-A
 |
| Image 1: Gigantic cobblestone at the revolutionary first of may demonstration. (Source:Verena Meyer 2012) |
A member of the collective explains:
“Through 25 years of riots, the cobblestone has become an icon for protests at the May 1 in Berlin Kreuzberg. The use of cobblestones in social uprisings is however much older: from ancient Rome, to the Paris Commune in 1871 to the ´68 movement, cobblestones have been used for barricades and as a weapon of defense. Taking stones out of the pavement is a favoured act of those who refuse to consent to an oppressive social order.”
 |
| Image 2: Cobblestones used as barricades in the Paris Commune, 1871 |
The May 1st demonstration in Berlin has long been a testing-ground for police tactics of crowd control and restrictions on protest. This year, 7000 highly-armed and aggressively shielded cops matched some 15 000 protesters, who were warned that a new water cannon, with a 10 000 L water-capacity, would be ready to be used against them. The inflatables are a collective creative intervention against this growing repression of protest and dissent, in ways that are both concrete and as well as symbolic. The experiences of the inflatables on May 1 proved their many uses in situations of protest, which can be summarized by the term “tactical frivolity”. Inflatables bring celebration and play to a demonstration while at the same time having strategic functions in situations of conflict... Cops can be easily perturbed by the unpredictable and un-categorizable.
At first the cubes appear to be shiny, desirable, playful objects; a visual spectacle which attracts little suspicion from cops looking for glass bottles and stones. The gigantic 3 x 3 x 3m cobblestone spontaneously attracted a crowd of people bouncing it up in the air. This brought a strong visual element to the demonstration1 similar to the use of giant puppets in protests. The advantage of inflatables in contrast to puppets however is that although they look massive, they are lightweight and easy to handle. Carrying a giant inflatable together creates a sense of crowd unity, while it can also keep the group moving forward despite a demo having been attacked and dispersed by cops.
Movie above: Aufblasbare Pflastersteine bei 1.Mai-Demo Source: Berliner Morgenpost TV, 1.May 2012
We laughed at the cobblestones as they were thrown into the air above us, the absurdity of their size in comparison with a small traffic light and their uncontrollable nature seeming ridiculous in contrast with the sharp, directed throw of a stone. But we laughed even harder when the cops began to beat these cubes of air with their batons, glad that the inflatables were there to take the blows instead of our bodies.
Movie above: Protesters and cops fighting with an inflatable in-between them. (Source: anonymous)
When the biggest cube was thrown towards them, not knowing what else to do, they responded by throwing it back. In this moment, despite their shields and their weapons, despite their uniforms which are meant to give them the appearance of scary robots, their power vanished as suddenly they were engaged in a game of beach ball with the people they were meant to control. This situation provoked loud applause and cheers from the crowd.
The inflatables action also had the aim of ridiculing the mainstream media images of “stones throwing trouble-makers”. By throwing gigantic inflated stones, we exaggerate this empty media spectacle ad absurdium. This image also subverts the strategic division of protesters into “violent” and “non-violent” and makes it harder to justify police brutality.
 |
| Image 3: Cops and inflatable at May 1st demo (Source: Berliner Morgenpost/ dadp) |
Not everyone at the demonstration liked the cubes. Early on some tried to break them with keys, and shouted things like “hippies!”, ”this is only distracting us” or "this is not a party-event!”. These responses were unfortunately not surprising. We limit ourselves when political protest is viewed as only being able to follow one pre-determined trajectory with fixed identities of what may or may not constitute radical action. Many others welcomed the inflatables as an element of creativity in a day of protest that all too often feels like a script whose rules of performance are closed and pre-determined.
Strategically combining art with anti-capitalist action does not entail a distraction from other more obviously militant forms of action. Our actions can only stay one step ahead of repression by constantly expanding into a multiplicity of forms, remaining unrecognizable and unpredictable to the forces we seek to challenge. We see the inflatables as a new tactic in the toolbox of already existing practices.
Inflatable cobblestones have also been used at the March 29th General Strike in Barcelona. Art-activists in Spain are now building a super hero army (“los reflectantes” i.e. the reflective block) who, dressed in silver reflective clothes, will be using large inflatables during the May 12 action day in Spain.
Inflatables are cheap and easy to make. EEC run workshops on how to build inflatables for protest. The collective, of course, strongly discourage the inflatables being used for anything illegal.
Links: Video and images of action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE8EB4hd-BI&list=UU7Z2Z_qjp3iDp9Ek5Vi6Xqg&index=8&feature=plcp Inflatable
Tutorial by the Eclectic Electric Collective in Barcelona, Spain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w-8JYZLub-A
 |
| Image 4: Inflatable cobblestones in between protesters and riot police on the general strike in Barcelona on 29.03.2012 (Oreana, Enmedio) |
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The rise of the Reflective Block
Here some news of the 15 May Newsletter, involving inflatable actions for the 12th and 15th of may..
*4. BARCELONA IS PREPARING THE #12M15M WITH A TOUCH OF CREATIVITY... *
Barcelona has been preparing the *Global May* actions for one month and
a half. A demo on the 12th and blockings and actions on the 15th are
planned. In Spain, May the 15th is also the first anniversary for the
15M movement.
A mass mobilization is expected (it could be bigger than the 350.000
people that took the streets on 15O). A circular route will start and
end in Plaza Catalunya, where the square will be taken again and
self-organized: a camp will be settled during 3 days with assemblies and
conferences to show the work done all along this last year and call more
people towards the 15M movement.
The */Forum dels pobles/* (/people's forum/) will embrace those days of
debates on the streets, focusing on 5 central themes: 1) No more money
to rescue the banks; 2) Public education and health care; 3) We say no
to the work reform and to job insecurity; 4) Decent housing for
everyone; 5) Universal basic income.
A lot of projects are on their way, like the */Reflectantes/* one.
Following the "Como acabar con el mal" (How to end evil) workshop -see
NL8- a workgroup has been creating reflective armours with the aimof
giving a funny and happy air to the demos and, at the same time, to
create protective and calming bodies: dressed in a brillant costume,
looking for a superhero aesthetics, and equiped by any kind of
reflecting devices, they are going to reflect all the evil that the
capitalism throws to the people and their lifes. Thanks to the
German */Electric electric collective/*, and to their workshop of
inflatables, the Barcelona group is preparing inflatable cubes of 4
square meters that could become giant baloons to play with and also
protection against police violent charges.
Other cities such as Madrid, Malaga and Berlin are working on similar
projects.
A website is collecting the tutorials on how to make these structures,
as all the cities and towns could work with his "reflectantes" improving
and creating new tactics of creative activism.
*LINKS:*
Web for Barcelona's 12M15M
campaign: http://12m15m.acampadadebarcelona.org/?lang=es/
Web for global May: http://globalmay.org/
Global call from Barcelona in
English
http://acampadabcninternacional.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/call-for-12m-from-barcelona-12m15m/
Presentation of the reflectant
team: http://www.enmedio.info/los-reflectables-ya-estan-aqui/#.T5SrnXiA8UQ
Video: How to create a reflectocube
[EN] http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w-8JYZLub-A
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
CREATIVE ACTIVISM WORKSHOP: how to build inflatables for protest actions
Hello,
we would like to invite you to our open participatory workshop "how to build inflatables for protest actions". The aim of the workshop is to build many inflatables for an action in a short period of time. At the same time, we want to teach the participants how to make inflatables with simple tools and cheap materials, using foil, double sided tape and a drinking bottle, that serves as the valve, so they can apply this knowledge for their own actions.
WHEN?
FRIDAY 27.04.2012 5 pm - 11 pm
SATURDAY 28.04.2012 2 pm - 10 pm
WHERE?
Studio EdelSchimmel
Oranienstrasse 185, 3th backyard, cellar
D-10963 Kreuzberg Berlin (two houses away of SO36)
The workshop lives from the input of the participants.
During the workshop we also want to have a potluck*
Please bring food, drinks and friends!
ABOUT US:
We are an open source, horizontally organised network, consisting of artists, activists and other like minded people. We explore and develop different forms of creative activism and currently promote the use of inflatables for protests. For previous projects, please check our blog:
www.eclectic-electric-collective.blogspot.com
or view our book "The El Martillo Project" online under this link.
looking forward,
Eclectic Electric Collective
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Inflato-Workshop in Barcelona at creative activism conference
We are just back from our trip to Barcelona, where we gave a workshop in the building of inflatables at the art activist conference "Como Acabar con el Mal", that was organised by the spanish art-activist group Enmedio. Our prototype, the invincible inflatable CUBE was also tested at the general strike on 29.03.2012 in Barcelona. Below some impressions of the workshop. Thanks to Kim Smith for making the pictures.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Something is up in the air..
Hello hello,
After the direct action training with Plane Stupid and the book release, new exciting brainstorm farts are in the air. If you want to get involved, please do contact us and check our blog for exciting news.
The E.E.C. also got invited to hold an inflatable workshop at the creative activism conference: How to end evil in 5days, in Barcelona. A few eclectic electricians will go there next week. The festival is crowd funded and they did not reach the critical minimum amount, which means that they have to pay back the money to all the people who funded already. However, they almost made it, just a few pennys, cents or dollars.. so if you have something left to donate...
check it out. here is their viral video:
http://vimeo.com/37311580
How to End Evil is an self-organized international gathering of creative activism, organized by Enmedio (http://www.enmedio.info/) at the Antic Teatre (http://www.anticteatre.com/) of Barcelona.
Here to inspire us will be a number of cultural agitators and activists from around the world (New York, Buenos Aires, Hamburg, London, Sevilla, Barcelona, Madrid…). Each of these participants will come loaded with creative tricks and tools for social change, and ready to share their tactics that have made their actions so effective. With their help, and with your help, How to End Evil could become an ideal concoction on how to face a crisis with creativity, and have a great time doing it.
http://comoacabarconelmal.net/en/
Here is our crowfunding campaign:
http://www.goteo.org/project/como-acabar-con-el-mal/home?lang=en
Music: http://filastine.com/
check it out. here is their viral video:
http://vimeo.com/37311580
How to End Evil is an self-organized international gathering of creative activism, organized by Enmedio (http://www.enmedio.info/) at the Antic Teatre (http://www.anticteatre.com/) of Barcelona.
Here to inspire us will be a number of cultural agitators and activists from around the world (New York, Buenos Aires, Hamburg, London, Sevilla, Barcelona, Madrid…). Each of these participants will come loaded with creative tricks and tools for social change, and ready to share their tactics that have made their actions so effective. With their help, and with your help, How to End Evil could become an ideal concoction on how to face a crisis with creativity, and have a great time doing it.
http://comoacabarconelmal.net/en/
Here is our crowfunding campaign:
http://www.goteo.org/project/como-acabar-con-el-mal/home?lang=en
Music: http://filastine.com/
Monday, February 20, 2012
Strategien des Protests // 29.02.2012 // New Yorck in Bethanien //
The elusive 29th February 2012, the extra day for mischief
you, and all your tools and toys, are invited to
‘Strategies of Protest
from London to Berlin’
what creative tools can we share to put a spanner in the works of injustice?
Plane Stupid meets Eclectic Electric Collective
29.02.2012 14h – 22h
Venue:New Yorck im Bethanien,
Mariannenplatz 2, Berlinwww.yorck59.net
ENTRANCE FREE
14h Book Presentation “The El Martillo Project”
with members of the Eclectic Electric Collective
www.eclectic-electric-collective.blogspot.com
15h Presentation Creative Activism & Aviation Justice by UK activists Tilly Gifford and Dan Glass
aviationjustice.org
16h – 19h Direct Action Workshop
“What creative tools can we share to put a spanner in the works of injustice?”
with Plane Stupid UK mischief makers
www.planestupid.com
20h Suppe Vokü
Book Launch of “The El Martillo Project” from the Eclectic Electric Collective, published by Minor Compositions (ISBN 978-1-57027-250-9).
+ Video screening + Performance of the Collective
Who are we?
Plane Stupid (U.K.) are building in Germany. Aviation is the fastest growing cause of global CO2 emissions and we are a direct action network to tackle the injustices caused by the industry. The campaign against the third runway at Munich could become the German Heathrow where community action successfully brought the government to it’s knees. Determined local residents are coming together with climate change activists to stop an unnecessary runway. Together with the protests at Frankfurt and Berlin it could bring about a big change in Germany aviation policy.
www.planestupid.com
Eclectic Electric Collective (Germany), an artist group exploring new grounds on the treshold between art and media-activism.
In 2010 the collective created “El Martillo”, a gigantic inflatable Hammer that was sent to Mexico for the UN CoP 16 as a weapon of mass-media communication.
El Martillo’s short, but glorious life, climaxed when protesters from Marea Creciente (Rising Tide) stormed the conference complex fences with the gigantic hammer above their heads. In full view of the press, Mexican police tore the inflatable to pieces. Within an hour global the media corporations declared El Martillo a symbol of the climate changes protests as it’s image traveled across the world. The book is published by Minor Compositions, ISBN 978-1-57027-250-9
www.eclectic-electric-collective.blogspot.com
www.minorcompositions.info/?p=357
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Book is OUT!!
It was a long road... but now it's finally there!! Thanks to Kristin & Paul, our most dedicated graphic designers and a lot of help of everyone . The book even found the publisher Minor Compositions, where you can read and purchase it online. For Web Minor Compositions. See this link.
Dates for bookrelease in Berlin will be at the end of Februari and in Leipzig at the beginning of March. Update soon!
Some Impressions at the printing office in Leipzig, December 2010.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Evening Program-Think like a forest-
Think like a Forest
Filmnight and discussion about art, activism and permaculture in the Raumerweiterungshalle,
Mo. 8.08, tuesday 9.08. and thursday 11.08, 8pm onwards.
"Think like a forest" is an eleven day workshop that operates on the shore between art, activism and permaculture. We invite you to our evening program, which is filled with film screenings, discussions and a good boogie. Stretch your neurons and your legs!
Curious? Come over and join us at the Halle!
Free Entrance
Raumerweiterungshalle,
Markgrafendamm 24c
10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain
S-Bhf: OSTKREUZ
Monday 8th of august
8pm Collective Raumerweiterungshalle presents their history..
8.20 - 9.20 pm Discussion about Climate camp in Lausitz with Mona Bricke (Gegenstrom Berlin)
See for more information about climate camp: www.lausitzcamp.info
Tuesday 9th of August
8pm - 10pm "Permaculture Movie Filmnight"
(provocative!) permaculture films and discussion with Alfred Decker.
Permaculture learns from the associative, relational, cooperative nature of eco-systems and applies these values to designing social systems.
Thursday 11th of August
8pm -10pm Filmscreening: "Paths through Utopias"
Regie: Isabell Fremeaux; John Jordan
Both travel writing and a fictional documentary, this book-film propose a real and imaginary journey, an exploration to discover post capitalists ways of life!
10 pm - 2 am DJ Slice me Nice (spacey disco)
"Move your meat to the beat!"
"Think like a forest" is organised by John Jordan and Isa Fremeaux from the art-activistgroup Laboratory of insurrectionary Imagination,
permaculturist Alfred Decker and Berlin artist group Eclectic Electric Collective.
The program is part of the Überlebenskunstfestival at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Upcoming: publication and workshop at the SurviveArt-festival 8-17.august 2011
picture made by Rafael Ibarra 2011
Hello hello,
right now we are working on our publication for the El Martillo Project.
From the 8th till the 17th of August we will facilitate in "Think like a forest", a workshop from the Lab of insurectionary Imagination at the Überlebenskunst-festival at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt.
The workshop´s theme is how the principles of permaculture can be integrated into art-activist practices and how to make groupprojects more ecologically sustainable and democratic at the same time. For the activist exchange, we will also visit the climate camp in the Lausitz. The camp situated at the german-polish border, is a conglomeration of different groups and initiatives, living an alternative low carbon non-hierarchical life-style, protesting against CCS (carbon capture and storage) and nuclear power. The course is free but involves an application process. For apllying, please contact us!
See whole workshop description:
Think Like a Forest: Art, Activism and Permaculture
“We may see the overall meaning of art change profoundly, from being an end to being a means, from holding out a promise of perfection in some other realm to demonstrating a way of living meaningfully in this one.”
Alan Kaprow.
Think Like a Forest is a free 10 day long (8th – 18th August) intensive training combining art activism tactics and skills for building ecological and deeply democratic communities. Framed by the design science of Permaculture, sometimes know as “the art of building beneficial relationships”, the course will include a trip to the climate camp and conclude with a co-created public participatory intervention during the festival. Permaculture learns from the associative, relational, cooperative nature of eco-systems and applies these values to designing social systems, the ultimate aim of the course is that participants leave having acquired the capacity to begin to think and act like a resilient and productive ecosystem.
Think Like a Forest will be facilitated by art activists John Jordan and Isabelle Fremeaux from the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination together with activist permaculturist Alfred Decker. Local art activist group electic electric collective will also facilitate elements. We see learning as an active process involving the sharing of experience and reflection, participants will be expected to approach the course with a spirit of co-creation and adventure.
Course is free but involves an application process.
Logo climate camp:
Links:
Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination
Lausitz climate camp
Überlebenskunst-festival
Sunday, February 27, 2011
K.K.W.V. Presentation, 16.02.2011
Asides from probably playing the shortest game of chess in human history we managed to get support from the KKWV for the making of a beautiful publication last week. Which is what we´re working on right now like busy squirrels. Check back for more updates in a couple of weeks.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
El Martillo / the hammer storms UN Climate conference Cop16 7.12.2010
Coverage of El Martillo by Mainstream Media:
First press response to El martillo´s heroic death, which came as it stormed the UN Climate Conference on the 7.12. in Cancún.
ITN: Hammer protest at UN climate talks
Environmental activists protesting UN climate talks have marched down Cancun streets carrying a giant silver hammer sent from Germany.
ZDF: Mit Solarboot und Hammer fürs Klima:
First press response to El martillo´s heroic death, which came as it stormed the UN Climate Conference on the 7.12. in Cancún.
ITN: Hammer protest at UN climate talks
Environmental activists protesting UN climate talks have marched down Cancun streets carrying a giant silver hammer sent from Germany.
ZDF: Mit Solarboot und Hammer fürs Klima:
NTD Television: Climate Protesters gather in Cancún
Euronews:Ban urges lower ambitions
(And Hammer wants to stamp out the talks..)
Reuters coverage of Hammer:
Diario La Verdad: Colapsa Cancun por protestas
Coverage of hammer action by independent media:
martillazo en cancun/COP16 from Maka Munoz on Vimeo.
Mas alla del Martillo: Action and Speech at Military Blockade during COP 16 Negotitations.
Submedia TV: CA Cancún
Mobile broadcastnews: Guantanamera Cop16
Cristian Guerrero speaks about anti-capitalist bloc
Plane Stupid: climate is saved.
Don't put your massive inflatable hammers away yet, buy a d-lock, get some super glue, get into an affinity group. As the students have shown in London this week, we can show governments and big business that we will not let them trample all over us.
Kehuelga Blog
Interview of Radio Dreyeckland with Jakub und Artur one week before the hammer action in Cancún:Radio Dreyeckland: Das trojanische Geschenk/Politische Kunst in Cancún
Euronews:Ban urges lower ambitions
(And Hammer wants to stamp out the talks..)
Reuters coverage of Hammer:
Diario La Verdad: Colapsa Cancun por protestas
Coverage of hammer action by independent media:
martillazo en cancun/COP16 from Maka Munoz on Vimeo.
Mas alla del Martillo: Action and Speech at Military Blockade during COP 16 Negotitations.
Submedia TV: CA Cancún
Mobile broadcastnews: Guantanamera Cop16
Cristian Guerrero speaks about anti-capitalist bloc
Plane Stupid: climate is saved.
Don't put your massive inflatable hammers away yet, buy a d-lock, get some super glue, get into an affinity group. As the students have shown in London this week, we can show governments and big business that we will not let them trample all over us.
Kehuelga Blog
Interview of Radio Dreyeckland with Jakub und Artur one week before the hammer action in Cancún:Radio Dreyeckland: Das trojanische Geschenk/Politische Kunst in Cancún
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Farewell Klima Forum
Yesterday was my last day at the Klima Forum. Located about 45 minutes away from Cancun and the Moon Palace where the UN is trying to hammer out a climate deal, Klima Forum has for years been a venue for civil society across the globe to meet, discuss and strategize during the UNFCCC. Many argue it is the only true democratic summit taking place in Cancun right now. I was in Copenhagen last year for COP 15 and I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Klima Forum. The series of talks and lectures I attended taught me so much about the climate crisis humanity faces at the moment and what the solutions are. I was quite excited about revisiting my old teacher here in Mexico for COP 16.
Unfortunately, Klima Forum this year was a mere shadow of Klima Forum of last year. Some people went as far as calling it a complete flop. Although the location quite picturesque and green (on the grounds of a polo field in the middle of the bush - see photo), the Klima Forum was plagued with transportation issues which limited the amount of participants. Whereas it felt like hundreds were at the Klima Forum daily in Copenhagen, only dozens were at the Klima Forum this year.
I am not one to put quantity before quality. The number of participants may have been small, but I heard some excellent speakers (Polly Higgins, Tom Goldtooth). What was heartbreaking for me was the Klima Forum this year was a clear example of how the environmental movement is not one united front. La Via Campesina had their own venue. Dialogo Climatico was apparently a venue for the bigger organisations (Oxfam, Friends of the Earth, etc). And then there was the poor little Klima Forum. Why these different groups were not able to coordinate their events and work together the same way it felt like they did in Copenhagen I do not know. But the fact that they were not able to work together to organize one "people's summit" does indicate the environmental movement has a lot of work to do before we achieve climate justice.
The organizers of the Klima Forum Cancun do have my respect. They did the best they could with the materials they had to make a truly people's summit. The rumors are the name "Klima Forum" will not be used during COP 17 in South Africa, but the spirit of the Klima Forum will live on. I had a chance yesterday to sit in on a planning session of African civil society about what to do for next year's COP and I walked away happy. The excitement of the African delegates to make their own people's assembly or summit was intoxicating. And to top it all off, a rainbow appeared at the very end of the meeting. Maybe there is hope for next year.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Finissage und Gespräch mit Adrienne Goehler 10.12. 19 Uhr
Zu Ehren des Hammers und älterer Kunstprojekte zum Thema Klima-Aktivismus zeigt das
Eclectic Electric Collective noch bis diesen Freitag 10.12. die Ausstellung "Battle of the Spectacle" im Projektraum OKK, Prinzenallee 29, Berlin-Wedding, geöffnet von Dienstag bis Freitag von 14-19 Uhr.
Am Freitag den 10.12.2010 um 19 Uhr laden wir Sie im Rahmen der Finissage zu einem offenen Gespräch mit der Kuratorin Adrienne Goehler zum Thema "Kunst, Aktivismus und Nachhaltigkeit" ein.
Adrienne Goehler plaziert ihre Ausstellungen bewusst an Orten, die sozial-politische Brennpunkte sind.
Während des G8 Gipfels in Heiligendamm 2007 hat sie die Ausstellung "Art goes Heiligendamm" in Rostock kuratiert. "Zur Nachahmung empfohlen! Expeditionen in Ästhetik und Nachältigkeit" ist nach einer Schau in den Berliner Uferhallen seit November dieses Jahres im Wendland zu besichtigen – nicht weit entfernt vom Ort der Castor-Blockaden .
Wo?
OKK/ Raum 29,
Prinzenallee 29, Berlin-Wedding
(U-Bhf Osloerstrasse U9/U8 oder U-Bhf Pankstrasse (U8) )
Wir freuen uns auf Sie,
Pablo , Artur & Jakub
Eclectic Electric Collective
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