| A group of nearly 30 people met in a dark auditorium last Saturday to discuss what they view as a kind of revolution.
No, it wasn’t a meeting of terrorists, but the topic of terrorism did come up. Instead, the group was comprised of artists, activists and students who arrived at the Stanford Perrot Lecture Theatre at the Alberta College of Art and Design to listen to a panel discussion hosted by The School of Panamerican Unrest.
The stated topic of the day was "Political Art: Persuasion of Alienation." But what really unfolded, while most Calgarians were enjoying the sunshine of the day, was a showcase of why interventionist art sometimes misses its mark because it’s either ill-conceived or maintains an intellectual exclusivity, despite an oft-repeated sentiment that it’s designed to "make connections" or "reach out to the community."
Case in point was the presentation by artist/ACAD instructor Don Simmons, who reviewed with the rather subdued audience his experiences with the Tactical Art Coalition of Halifax.
Their project "Halifax Begs Your Pardon" was staged in the summer of 2002 to bring a broader historical understanding to local monuments that are often visited by tourists who spend time in that city. "The project was presented anonymously in the community," said Simmons at the panel discussion.
But instead of sticking with its plan to place "sorry bricks" and "sorry signs" on or near the monuments as a way to highlight historical injustices, the group thought it might be interesting to also place a "gizmo" (electronic device) on one of the ferries that crosses Halifax Harbour each day.
The gizmo had an electronic display, which apologized for Halifax’s ongoing practice of dumping raw sewage into its harbour. The device was, of course, discovered by an alarmed tourist, with the result (in the post 9/11 era) being that the bomb squad was called in, and the entire harbour was shut down on a busy Friday afternoon.
"We had no intention of that happening, to shut down the harbour," Simmons told the Calgary audience. "Lawyers got involved and it got really disgusting. It ended up being a sad story."
But perhaps the saddest part of the story is not that an art project that was supposedly designed to raise awareness was ultimately criminalized (one of the members of the collective was charged), but Simmons’s reaction to how the events were interpreted by elements of the community that it affected.
As part of his presentation last Saturday, Simmons showed off headlines from Halifax newspapers, including this one from the Daily News: "Ferry’s Mystery Box: Was it Art or Crime?"
Questioning the newspaper’s legitimacy to report on the aftermath of the project, Simmons says, "The Daily News is like the Calgary Sun – they don’t even run art features." He adds, "They even opened it up to the readers."
Viewing as suspect a debate by readers who may or may not be close followers of the art world seems a quizzical position for an activist artist, who claims he wants to raise awareness about the causes he claims to hold dear to his heart.
Instead of a dark theatre as its venue, the next time the School of Panamerican Unrest (and invited guests) speak to Calgarians, they should consider taking the discussion out to the people – even those who are audacious enough to read the Calgary Sun.
For more information about the School of Panamerican Unrest, go to www.panamericanismo.org. |
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