ctober 1, 2014 Suited for Subversion (Ralph Borland) By Alex Vitale From the curators: Suited for Subversion is a civil disobedience suit designed to be worn by street protesters to protect them from police batons. More than just a shield, the suit is a conceptual prototype that draws attention to the risks that protesters face while defending their convictions. Borland’s design draws on the tactics of White Overalls, an anticapitalist group that originated in Italy in the mid 1990s. Its members dress entirely in white overalls padded with bubble wrap and polystyrene. Their protective wear was a safeguard and a way to create spectacle, attract attention, and encourage society to echo their sentiments. In Borland’s design a wireless video camera mounted over the wearer’s head records police action. The system transmits the signal directly to a control station, removing the need for a tape, which could easily be destroyed. A speaker in the center of the chest amplifies the wearer’s heartbeat and can also be used to play music or amplify speech. During a group protest, increasing heart rates would be audible as tension and excitement mounted in the crowd, creating a natural soundtrack. At the same time, the audible heartbeat would expose the vulnerability of the individual. The fragility of the human body is exploited as a tool, a shield—almost a weapon—against police munitions. The rise in global trade and communication has brought threats to local cultural, political, and economic autonomy, as well as uneven development and a polarization of incomes. Responses to the negative consequences of the “invisible hand” of neoliberal political economy have taken many forms, from playful cultural appropriation to armed conflict. Borland’s Suited for Subversion attempts to find a middle ground by suggesting a humane but active resistance to global exploitation and inequality. International political theater groups like the Yes Men counterfeit official stationery and impersonate corporate executives to subvert brand messaging and challenge the symbolic authority of global political and economic leaders. Online petitions from groups like Avaaz have brought global attention to injustices in faraway locations. Even the crass commercialization of the image of Che Guevara and handmade armed Zapatista figurines allow people in the U.S. and Europe to express their solidarity with struggles in Latin America, however vaguely. These actions inspire the possibility of new international cultural and political unities, but are generally far removed from exercising concrete political power. There is also a darker side of the resistance to the new global order. Upheavals of political and cultural violence associated with religious and political extremism have produced outrages like 9-11, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the assault on Mumbai. Political violence has become almost an end in itself as local actors literally fight for access to the world’s front pages and 24-hour news stations in an environment of failed and repressive states working hand in hand with unaccountable corporate elites. In between these strategies is one of active nonviolent resistance targeting the institutions of free trade and global governance. Massive protests have been held at meetings of the World Trade Organization, the G8 and G20, and the International Monetary Fund. At the time of this writing, Hong Kong is the latest epicenter of this type of action. In a few cases, the protests have succeeded in disrupting the plans of global elites. In 1999, demonstrators used coordinated direct action to block all entry points to the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle, preventing large numbers of delegates from accessing the convention center. This caused delays and contributed to the ultimate failure of the meetings, as developing countries felt emboldened to hold out for a better trade deal. ... .
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 09:40:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015