CFP 18.02.2014

Action, Intervention and daily Deployment (London)

Goldsmiths College, University of London
Eingabeschluss : 20.03.2014

Vivi Kallinikou, Belrin

Action, Intervention and daily Deployment: A research project on protest practices and their visual representation

‘We are not protesting what we don’t want, we are performing what we want.’ - Emily Roysdon

Protest can be followed through in different ways, collectively, in a group, or individually. A mass of people, which have come together to voice their disapproval is usually the first thing that comes to mind. In this context the effect is tightly bound to the number of people taking part. The more people show up the stronger the message. A Google search for key words such as ‘protest’ or ‘protest movement’ mostly results in images of masses of people holding up signs and billboards, people fighting with police or an opposition.

We asked ourselves: Can we think of a different kind of representation of protest? If we shift away from this general idea that is associated with protest, and focus on the statements and commitments that are executed at the intersection between the privacy of our own homes and the public sphere, do they loose effectiveness? Are they temporary, are they conscious? Is there an end goal? Can the results of these actions be regarded as more sustainable than ‘regular’ protest? How can we grasp the shift between an individual act and a movement? With these questions, we ultimately try to investigate socio-political change. But how can we detect change?

Action, Intervention and daily Deployment (AIdD) aims to collect examples and case studies of intervention practices that relate to socio-political situations that we understand as an ‘everyday protest’. The examples are by no means a comprehensive survey of all forms of intervention practices and movements, but hopefully will shed light on the intersection between the individual political engagement and public movements and organisations. This material will be published on an online platform, reflecting on actions and practices, identifying issues and investigating different representations of daily protest practices.

This is an open call for various submissions relating to individual action, intervention and deployment followed through on an everyday basis. The material can include, but is not limited to, photographs, website links, articles, literature, personal thoughts, interviews, and videos.

Together, we wish to assemble a body of knowledge to be used for different research and practices. We believe that by collecting this information we can produce an alternative representation of protest, open debates, raise awareness, and display different conditions of entering and challenging contemporary urgencies. We believe that change can be evoked not only by voicing disapproval, but equally by offering alternative ways to make sustainable change.

This research project reflects on several key terms and figures. It is an ongoing conversation and will hopefully result in a series of think tanks and an accessible online archive.

About the Research Collective AIdD

We are a research collective formed at Goldsmiths College, University of London, in January 2014, with the aim to collect, analyse and reframe notions of alternative protest practices and their visual representation.

Deadline for submissions: 20 March 2014

Please send your submission/s to aestheticsofprotest(at)gmail(dot)com.

Quellennachweis:
CFP: Action, Intervention and daily Deployment (London). In: ArtHist.net, 18.02.2014. Letzter Zugriff 29.03.2024. <https://arthist.net/archive/7028>.

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