Founded in 1995, A & R is an attempt to revitalize political protest through the introduction of dance, street theatre, and puppetry into political protests. Though very little exists in terms critical practice, A & R does however support a myriad of anti-corporate, anti-globalization, housing, poverty, and criminal justice actions. A & R exists as a tactic rather than a direct, ideologically driven entity. Their relations to Situationist actions are implicit rather than explicit.
Revolutionary Artistic Movements
Situationist International
Guy Debord
Detournement
Poetic Terrorism
Reclaim the Streets
Surveillance Camera Players
Web Homepage: http://artandrevolution.org/
(now defunct and used as an online drug site) also try:
http://www.groundworknews.org/culture/culture-artrevol.html
E-Mail: bayarea@artandrevolution.org (Bay Area)
Chapters and collectives throughout the United States, with main centres in the Bay Area, Seattle and Boston.
Art and Revolution organizations bring people together to create new ways to effectively resist corporate domination, environmental degradation and social injustice. By developing creative projects with other social change organizations, we work to build stronger communities of resistance capable of making radical, positive social change. (from "what do they do?" http://www.squat.freeserve.co.uk/about.htm)
This group is primarily
concerned with methodology rather than ideology. However, through their actions,
they aim to present alternatives and raise consciousness about various issues.
Art and Revolution is a collective of artists and activists who revitalize political
protest by bridging creative culture with struggles for social justice. We bring
dance, music, theater and giant puppets to the streets to bring attention to
the critical issues of our times.
Art and Revolution teaches direct action and street theater far and wide, and
has helped build ten other sister collectives throughout the United States.
We collaborate with dozens of local justice groups and labor unions. (from website)
Bertold Brecht appears to be a point of reference.
Numerous. Corporate capitalism, dominators of nature, military-industrial complex, etc.
Street theatre is obviously the primary media; however, this group has a strong presence on the Web and is involved with networking with other groups
Non-violent, non-branded pedagogic theatre and performance.
Numerous smaller actions
throughout the United States: housing actions, demonstrations against nuclear
power, environmental actions, etc.
Also involved in larger actions: National Democratic Convention counter demonstrations
in Los Angeles and Chicago. Seattle WTO, Washington, Quebec, etc.
Bread and Puppets (Vermont—defunct?),
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (Minneapolis), The Puppeteers'
Cooperative (Boston), Reclaim May Day (San Francisco), Wise Fool Puppet Intervention
(Berkley, CA and Santa Fe, NM).
(all links provided on website).
Attempts to keep direct action from being a dour and joyless affair. Directly challenges the division between art and politics. However, execution tends to be trite and tired—ie. the overuse of the same images/concepts, messages tend to be overly simplistic or didactic