NOISE Art of Protest

THE ART F PR TEST www.NOISEfestival.com/Protest

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HAV E W E LOST THE A RT O F PROT EST? Foreword by Joshua Blackburn of Provokateur.com

I have long been fascinated by that place where politics and design meet. Whether in protest or propaganda, agitation or information, when graphic design finds its political voice it has an eloquence and magnetism that can cut deep into the public imagination.

It’s a testimony to the long lasting resonance of such design that so many images have become a part of our public consciousness. This is design that leaves its mark, from the iconography of the Paris student protests of May ’68 and the searing, uncompromising style of Emory Douglas and the Black Panthers to the language of protest and provocation mastered by latterday icons like Shepard Fairey and Banksy. This is stuff with the power to agitate and activate. For me, it’s graphic design at its best: potent, passionate, political.

It’s a common refrain that these days, we’ve lost the art of protest. We’re so absorbed by shopping and facebooking, so it’s said, that protest is a dying art, a casualty of apathy and consumerism. I don’t buy this. What’s exciting about the art of protest is that it’s taken on a new form and lives in a new place. If you’re looking for angry, placardwaving demonstrations then, yes, there’s less of those around. But the digital domain has enabled new forms of protest to thrive. Remember the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico? There were over 4,000 ‘re-designs’ of the BP logo flying around hyperspace expressing their outrage at this environmental crime. Likewise, the art of protest can be seen on our streets, expressed in a renaissance of provocative graffiti that speaks with a political voice as sharpened as any placard. This is all part of the new art of protest: homegrown, personal and viral. And it’s creative as hell.

I H AV E A DREA M Aims and ambitions for the project by Rael Gough I have had a dream for a while now, basically that one day I want to play a part in promoting all young people (all of them) and their creativity (including myself too... hopefully). So, why not make it happen now eh? In my opinion some of the more traditional gallery spaces can be quite intimidating - especially if you are young and like wearing a hooded top (I own a couple). Art shouldn’t be about your postcode, age or choice of clothing. With the help of NOISE I’ve genuinely been inspired enough to try hard in helping take art out of its’ usual environment, and I’d like it if you would come with me.

I imagine a person walking down the street, who may never have stepped in to an art gallery before. They pass a poster / piece of public creativity - and it makes them think... or maybe just smile. That’s the sort of statement I’d like to make.

www.NOISEfestival.com/Protest

In my opinion, protests of any kind should be done in a peaceful manner. Violence should never be an option.

Artists can have a striking and positive effect, because visually they can say so much through a piece of work.

Provoking thought, an artistic statement can be very powerful and influential, and equally as important in my opinion if it does so peacefully... which is a skill in its’ own way.

So taking this dream forward, I’d like to take this exhibition, and some of the new work submitted in response to the NOISEfestival.com Protest project, on the road to festivals and spaces across the country – can you help? www.NOISEfestival.com/RaelGough

My design agency, Provokateur, was set up to work with ethical organisations and charities to employ graphic design not to sell trainers and soft drinks but ideas and causes. We believe design can be a powerful force for good. That in its simplicity and clarity, design can express a political message that is engaging, challenging and purposeful. For us, the art of protest is one of the most exciting frontiers of graphic design. This is where art and design can change the world. This is the passionate belief that drives our work, and when we see it in the work of others it’s a source of inspiration.

Joshua Blackburn is Founder of ethical communications agency Provokateur.

Dürer, ich führe persönlich Baader + Meinhof durch die Dokumenta V. 1972 Performance in front of Beuys / Peiter collaboration piece Berlin, Die RAF Ausstellung, KW 2005

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The Protest Issue NOISE RE-M AST ERS - CA LL FOR SUBMISSIONS

W H AT I T I S It’s a creative project, designed to inspire young people to create an entirely new piece of work on the theme of ‘Protest’, through exploring the methods of leading artists.

Broken down into bite-size activities, this curriculum-led project is open to all, and can be delivered by teachers, tutors and youth workers. You can download the brief, complete with teaching notes here: www.NOISEfestival.com/Protest

THE BRIEF Inspired by these original modern masterpieces, and by following the ‘masters’ lead, young people are invited to create new works in a broad range of formats including photography, collage, fashion, sculpture, installations, film, song lyrics, poetry, painting, performances and happenings. Then upload these to the NOISEfestival. com website.

The Masters ‘Laugh Now’ - Banksy Banksy’s work is about relevant political and social issues of the day, his art works are often satirical pieces of stencil art that encompass topics from politics to culture and ethics; using graffiti and anonymity as free speech to communicate with the public.

Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say ‘I’M DESPERATE’ 1992 – 3 – Gillian Wearing In a bustling district of South London Gillian Wearing stopped members of the public and asked them to write down for her what was on their mind, she then photographed this diverse range of people with different, and often surprising thoughts, needs and desires. Gillian said of her collection “That it leaves a lot to the imagination, that’s what art should do. It leaves you something to go away with, something to think about. It doesn’t say: this is a story, completely, and this is my take on it.”

Plus more work by Billy Bragg, John Lennon & Yoko Ono...

HOW TO SUBMIT 1. Head to www.NOISEfestival.com/Protest to see more original master’s works for inspiration 2. Register 3. Upload your Re-Masters submissions to your NOISE online portfolio

W H AT Y O U G E T

Laugh-Now by Banksy

The best submissions will be handpicked in March 2012 and showcased via the NOISEfestival.com online galleries with a potential gallery exhibition.

‘Gary’ - Stella Vine In Gary, Stella Vine depicts a British man, Gary McKinnon, facing extradition since 2005 to the US for hacking into over 90 highly secure military and Nasa computers from the UK; in addition McKinnon had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. In many of her works, Stella questions the power and the role that the media plays in promoting celebrity status; her past work has included iconic figures such as Kate Moss and Princess Diana.

jOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO montreal BED -in by TEDD CHURCH

‘Durer I Lead!’ - Beuys/ Peiter In 1972, Joseph Beuys wanted to lead terrorists Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof through the Documenta in order to re-socialise them. Artist Thomas Peiter met Beuys at the opening press conference. Peiter was dressed as the artist Albrecht Dürer and the two artists interacted with each other, Beuys saying to Peiter, “Dürer, I will lead Baader and Meinhof through the Documenta then they are resocialised again”. Peiter then painted two boards with this message and carried them through the Documenta on poles. Beuys later put them together into a pair of felt slippers. Their performance was a spontaneous and symbolic expression of their need to protest against the atrocities of terrorism which was casting a dramatic shadow over the society they were living in at the time.

www.NOISEfestival.com/Protest

Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say ‘I’M DESPERATE’ 1992 – 3 – by Gillian Wearing Courtesy of the artist and Maureen Paley, London

Gary by Stella Vine

NOISE Protest ARTISTS

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PA RT ONE emma richardson

AMI GRINSTED

Emma’s work commentates on current affairs. She says “My work is inspired by the relentless progress of newsfeeds, where important events are quickly pushed aside when something more interesting comes along. I combine this with a love of observation of people and everyday life to create my imagery.”

This piece of work is one of a series of five inspired by the Egyptian Revolution, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches and labour strikes in January ’11. Ami’s series of work focuses on the protestors themselves and tells their story, hand-sewn on a wooden or metal surface.

www.NOISEfestival.com/EmmaRichardson

www.NOISEfestival.com/AmiGrinsted

neil conley A series of snow globes created in response to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010.

Of his work Neil says, “The series is shaped by a number of key principles; the snow globes embody the throwaway, novel plastic gifts that have become one of the oil industries many parasites - whilst in the same breath, act as a warped preservation of the wildlife affected by the spill and its inherent beauty.” Each globe contains a hand carved miniature of a species directly affected by the disaster. The miniatures sit atop a spun copper plinth set on a pedestal of synthetic stone. For each Globe sold, 18% percent of the sale price is donated to the ongoing clean-up in the region. www.NOISEfestival.com/NeilConley

m i c h ele c oxo n

S t e p h a n i e Pa r n e l l Stephanie was in Parliament Square London on the 27th of May 2011, 2 days after the Queen’s visit, when Brian William Haw was arrested, Haw was the first to set up camp in June 2001 in a one-man protest against war and foreign policy. Of the photo Stephanie adds “There was a heavy police presence this day, more than usual because of what had happened. There was a growing conflict with the protestors and the police. The arrest of Haw only intensified this.” www.NOISEfestival.com/StephanieParnell

“Michele’s piece is a porcelain sculpture of the artist Ai Weiwei, who this year was imprisoned by the Chinese authorities.The schoolbag represents his work “Remembering”. He visited Sichuan, China after the earthquake where many of the schools had collapsed.

Scattered among the ruins were the backpacks that belonged to the children that died. He was arrested and beaten for trying to find out who was responsible for the high death rate. The surveillance camera, created in marble represents the Chinese government watching its people. www.NOISEfestival.com/MicheleCoxon

JAC K K I RTLEY ‘The human race does not need fictitious evils, we have enough to be wary of.’ www.NOISEfestival.com/JackKirtley

W HAT WOULD M A K

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MANCHESTER

VA L E N C I A

www.NOISEfestival.com/LiamCarter

www.NOISEfestival.com/MartaJulve

KE YOU PROT EST? BERLIN

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mADRID

Against dress codes

Against philistines

For Palestine

Against Middle School Diploma

www.NOISEfestival.com/SebastianHeise

www.NOISEfestival.com/LuciaZapata

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NOISE Protest ARTISTS PA RT T WO

C r a i g At h e r t o n Craig’s piece highlights the expenses scandal in 2010.

Within a list of expenses claimed was a 57p box of matches. After researching match boxes he says, “It seemed fitting to use an ‘England’s Glory’ match box, swapping imagery around to create something that asks questions and provokes thoughts.” www.NOISEfestival.com/CraigAtherton

Sat o r u K u sa k a b e With this piece Satoru asks ‘Is Google God of the Internet?’.

The piece uses a physical digital spray can that enables users to graffiti Google street view graphically. The image is then uploaded onto Google maps at the same location.

Satoru adds, “This is a possibility of what product design could do against digital world.” Satoru is currently looking for web developers to build the prototype.

ROSIE SORRELL An expression of current realities and idealism expressed through common phrase, use of language and context. www.NOISEfestival.com/RosieSorrell

www.NOISEfestival.com/SatoruKusakabe

LISA MA

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

‘Heathrow Heritage’ is a series of excursions run as a cooperation where activists, historians and residents with the assistance of the airport deacon, take stranded passengers for bike tours around the ancient villages under threat from airport expansion. The project investigates the separation of visitors passing through and local residents who are rarely in direct contact with the airport. Lisa says “It’s an activity that brings two disparate communities together and leaves entertaining and memorable experiences for the passengers and a new form of activism for the protesters.”

Platform 8, Design Products, Royal College of Art, London.

www.NOISEfestival.com/LisaMa

www.NOISEfestival.com/Platform8

P L AT F O R M 8

HOW TO PROT EST

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SUCCESS FU LLY

BRIAN PADDICK Brian Paddick was born in Clapham in 1958 and served for over 30 years in the London Metropolitan Police.

Starting as a Constable on the beat in Holloway he rose to the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner with day-to-day responsibility for 20,000 police officers, still the highest-ranking officer in any UK police force to be openly gay. Brian came to national prominence for his effective, liberal approach to drugs law enforcement and as police spokesperson following the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

After leaving the police over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes Brian was selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London in 2008, securing almost a quarter of a million first preference votes. He has remained a high-profile member of the party ever since, attending every Party Conference since 2007, and is a regular contributor to news and current affairs programmes.

On 2 September 2011 Brian Paddick was confirmed as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London, following a vote of London party members. Brian is already working hard along with the London Liberal Democrat team to secure the best possible result next May. www.NOISEfestival.com/Protest

NOISE FESTIVAL:

Could you tell us about your experiences of successful protests?

BRIAN PADDICK:

I think the Stop the War march was very powerful in getting the views of the public across but unfortunately Labour government lies convinced too many outside the Liberal Democrats to vote in favour of the war.

NF: What should protestors avoid doing at all costs?

BP:

Protestors should not ignore those who have joined their protest, who they know are nothing to do with their cause, and appear intent on causing trouble. They should tell the police otherwise the genuine protest is in danger of being hijacked by those intent on criminality and violence.

NF: Apart from protesting, if people wanted their views

heard from decision makers, politicians and influencers, what other effective methods could people try that would get them to listen?

BP:

Try to talk to them direct, by email, a personal message on facebook, twitter, phone or in person. I do not mean bombard them but a calm and reasonable direct approach asking if they can discuss their concerns works for me.

NF: During a protest, what is the role of the police force?

BP:

The police should be there to facilitate peaceful protest.

NF: If a protest gets out of hand, i.e. violence breaks out,

what should the organisers expect to happen from thereon?

What are the Police briefed to do if this happens?

BP:

The police should be trying to identify trouble makers in advance and isolate them from the peaceful protestors. If violence does break out the police should try to isolate the criminals from the lawful protestors and deal with them separately. The police should be briefed to use reasonable force, although the Chief Inspector of Constabulary says there is no agreed definition of reasonable force and there should be.

NF:

Is there anything you would change about protest policing?

BP:

I think the police should use intelligence more to try to separate the violent minority from the peaceful majority as early as possible.

NF: Have we lost the Art of Protest?

BP:

I think we have lost the art of effective peaceful protest as there are problems on both sides.

NF: If you could protest about something, what would it be and how would you go about it?

BP:

Disproportionate use of stop and search by the police against black and minority ethnic people. I’m working with black community leaders on it and I hope to get to see the new Commissioner soon!

NOISE ART OF PROTEST

Platform 8, Design Products, Royal College of Art, London

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ABOUT THE NOISE FESTIVA L CHA RIT Y “NOISE promotes young creative visionaries, who do not have the social connections or choices, to leapfrog to the next stage of their careers. To become potential role-models for the next generation.”

Endorsement • NOISE online portfolios are ranked by acclaimed creative professionals; Zaha Hadid, Tom Dixon, Sir Norman Rosenthal, Wayne Hemingway, Badly Drawn Boy, Peter Saville

Denise Proctor, NOISE Charity Chief Executive

• Partners include BBC, Microsoft, MTV, Adobe, Yamaha, Blueprint, Digital Arts

NOISE provides interactive online portfolios, physical events to sell and promote creative’s work, and innovative projects to profile and acknowledge the achievements of young artists.

• UK Government support – Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Ed Vaizey, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, former Minister for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham & former Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper

The national UK NOISE charity aims to increase social mobility of young talented people, disadvantaged by their physical, social, economic, educational status or geographic location. NOISE supports emerging creatives and entrepreneurs starting out on their career paths by showcasing their talent via international media partners.

NOISE Achievements AWARD-WINNING • NOISE won “Best UK Arts, Cultural & Heritage Charity” Charity Awards 2009 • Finalist for “Best UK Run Charity” Charity Times 2010 REACH • We are international, national and regional, reaching a combined international audience of 885million, with a PR value of £8million • 18,000 submissions uploaded to Festival • 10,000 young people active online participants • Portfolio categories across photography, design, music, art, film, fashion, architecture, graphics, digital, written word, illustration and enterprise

A BOUT THE YOUTH IN ACTION PROGR A MME ‘Youth in Action’ has been set-up by the European Union to inspire a sense of active European citizenship, solidarity and tolerance among young Europeans and to involve them in shaping the Union’s future. It promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the employability and inclusion of all young people, regardless of their educational, social and cultural background. The British Council is the UK’s National Agency for the Youth in Action programme.

For more information about the Youth In Action programme and how you can apply for funding for your projects head to www.britishcouncil.org/youthinaction.htm. www.NOISEfestival.com/Protest

Projects • Events across the UK; 11 Downing Street, Tate, Urbis, Liverpool Biennial, ICA, Manchester Town Hall, Brick Lane and Soho • 2010 NOISELAB, on Manchester’s high street (monthly footfall 2million), offered free master-classes/workshops with successful professionals, to gain contacts and skills, and creative retail outlet enabling over 100 emerging creatives to test their products in the market yet continue their day jobs. NOISELAB attracted 42,000 visitors, 17,616 young participants, national media coverage (BBC, Sunday Times, Look Magazine) http://vimeo.com/12820923 • NOISE brokered 85 placements in leading creative companies internationally and continuation into BA/MA courses – including MTV Brazil, BBC and Hemingway Design These NOISE projects resulted in our online learning and retail support to prepare our artists for portfolio careers.

To get your creative work seen by an audience of millions head to www.NOISEfestival.com and upload your work to your very own online NOISE portfolio.

CREDITS Team NOISE Denise Proctor – NOISE Chief Executive Victoria Turnbull – NOISE Operations Manager Isis Marco – NOISE Marketing Manager

‘Art of Protest’ Team Rael Gough – Head Activist Karen Wan – Campaign Manager Frances Rocca – March Organiser Sophie Ashcroft – Peace Keeper Catherine Chialton – Graphics Fransisca Nelson – Newspaper Art Editor

Big NOISE Thanks to Wahid Amed for helpfully letting use his space for our exhibition.

All the professional artists and their representatives for kindly allowing us to use their art.

Our contributors for taking the time out of their busy schedules to give us their views.

#NOISEartofprotest with your concerns, issues & ideas Twitter.com/NOISEfestival

A M I G R I N S T E D - P e o p l e H at e Y o u www.NOISEfestival.com/AmiGrinsted

‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.’