Category Archives: activism

Sebastian Hernandez – DIY or Die #2 – Ladyfest

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torc
Ladyfest (2009, 46 MB, 4:39 min)

Second in Sebastian Hernandez’ neat documentary series on DIY/alternative lifestyles.
I like the genuine respect & empathy Hernandez shows for his subjects, which doesn’t,
however, preclude honest & three dimensional film-making.
Once again Hernandez’ technical skills are evident (But not in a look at me! kind of way)
In particular I love the jumpy camera work/edit in the second interview, which manages to be
aesthetically pleasing without detracting from the actual substance of the interview – indeed
it adds to it.
Looking forward very much to seeing the third!

The Yes Men Fix The World

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fixtheworld
The Yes Men Fix The World (2009, 37 MB, 2:30 min)

Coming to theaters in October, The Yes Men – Fix The World.
They have an unusual hobby: posing as top executives
of corporations they hate. Armed with nothing but thrift-store suits,
the Yes Men lie their way into business conferences and parody their
corporate targets in ever more extreme ways – basically doing everything
that they can to wake up their audiences to the danger of letting greed run our world.

More vids here and here.

Gas Zappers by Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung

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gaszappers
Gas Zappers (2007, 61 MB, 5:45 min)


Sebastian Hernandez –Truth or Consequences

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torc
Truth or Consequences (2009, 90 MB, 10:03 min)

Very nicely made and engaging documentary, first of three,
all of which we hope to feature here, by Sebastian Hernandez,
amply fulfilling earlier promise.
Technically this work is even more assured.
I have to say personally I preferred the politics of his earlier work.
(Not that I assume Hernandez views are necessarily to be identified with
those of his subjects, so, to put it better, I preferred the folks
in the earlier movies)

There’s more context here.

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price

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Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart (2005, 9.4 MB, 2:48 min)

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price was the documentary film sensation
that’s changing the largest company on earth. The film features the
deeply personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities
struggling to survive in a Wal-Mart world.
It’s an emotional journey that will challenge the way you think, feel.. and shop.
Directed by Robert Greenwald.

THE HERETICS – the story of the Women

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the_heretics
THE HERETICS (2009, 124 MB, 10:08 min)

THE HERETICS, A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics

Lesbian Rangers – Victory at The Rock

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rock
Victory at The Rock (2005, 72.4 MB, 4:45 min.)

The Lesbian Rangers.
More clips .

In G.O.D. We Trust – Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung

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ingodwetrust
In G.O.D. We Trust (2009, 52 MB, 5:04 min)

In G.O.D. We Trust remixes the political and economical hardships Barrack Obama
has to overcome within various religious contexts. In the series the 44th US president keeps
reincarnating into seven various prophets, spiritual leaders and deities in order to heal the
world, including Jesus Christ, Buddha, Elegua, Lady of Guadalupe, Krishna, Mohammad and
Abraham. The series uses the pillar belief, remix the important stories and substitute the key
elements of the religious texts with current political and economical climate. Rather than
idolizing Obama, In G.O.D. We Trust examines the hope and changes the popular 44th US
president promises to deliver and the obstacle along the way.

The title of the series appropriate the US national motto, but with a twist. In G.O.D. We Trust
the word GOD is an abbreviation of Global Obama Devotion. Contrary to the artist previous
works that criticize the manipulation of religions in politics, In GOD We Trust starts from the
religious teaching and reinterpret the moral values with current affair. The result is a spiritual
journey that even Atheist cannot deny it.”

By Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung. Audio by Mr Cloak and Dagger.

MTAA and Mike Koller – iPhone Drum Circle

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ipdc
iPhone Drum Circle (2009, 40 MB, 5:10 min)

On Sunday September 20 at 2pm, MTAA, Mike Koller and friends set out
a brightly colored blanket surround by a circle of chairs at McCarren Park,
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They had amplified iPhones on which they have
downloaded touchscreen drum and bongo applications and they “jammed.”

iPhone Drum Circle (aka IPDC)

Olga Panedes Massenet – City of Fear

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City of Fear (2008, 118MB 4:13 min)

Tad.. er.. earnest & a bit Burroughs lite at moments,
but gripping to watch, moves along nicely and clearly the work
of someone with serious skills, strong visual sense and something to say.
The green slime section must’ve been fun to do.
More here.

Bruce Conkle

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Bruce Conkle (2009, 243MB, 5:32 min)

A very deftly made & absorbing documentary directed by Robert D’Esposito &
shot by Kevin Forrest about the excellent Portland, OR based artist Bruce Conkle.
It’s a bit of a download but worth it both as a nifty bit of filmmaking
(and everything is good – listen to that crystal clear sound!)
but also because Bruce’s work is great.
There’s a big fat HD version on the Vimeo link above ..

We’re leaving you with something chunky to contemplate
as we’re going to take a summer break now.
We’ll be back on September 14th (unless anything so
wonderful & time limited appears we just have to put our
Daiquiris down, shuffle into the house & post it…)
Have a good summer!

What Makes Me White?

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What Makes Me White? (2009, 9.4MB, 3:21)

New short film by award-winning director A.M. Sands
about race, privilege, memory, and experience.
What Makes Me White? official site.

History of video blogging – Vloggercon 2005

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vloggercon
europe-vloggercon (2005, 6.7MB, 1:35 min.)

by Anders from – randomshow.com.

also, history and Video blogging.

Skull Project – Paul Wirhun

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skulls
Skulls (2004, 6.5MB, 3min.)

A video from my blog “My Year in Art”
documenting my interactions with artists and their work.
Paul Wirhun speaks about his work The Skull Project.

By Mica Scalin.

When Clouds Clear

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When Clouds Clear (2008, 15.3MB, 2:26)

Directed by Anne Slick and Danielle Bernstein,
When Clouds Clear is a remarkably intimate portrait
of a tiny Ecuadorian village’s struggle against
mining companies that seek to take over (and destroy)
the land they have long cultivated as their home.

Shot on a lovely mix of Super 8, 16mm, and video
to show the complexities of different viewpoints, the
film is one of the most beautiful I have had the
privilege of viewing this year.

Light Criticism – the Anti-Advertising Agency

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lightcriticism
Light Criticism (2007, 14MB, 2:21 min.)

Light Criticism is a project by Steve Lambert (the Anti-Advertising Agency)
with Graffiti Research Lab.
From Eyebeam R&D Open Lab.

Flooded McDonald’s

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Superflex – Flooded McDonald’s (2009, 8.2MB, 0:41)

Clip from a twenty minute video of a McDonald’s
being fully submerged underwater. (Don’t worry –
they recycled the water, and no staff was present.)
What do you think it means? Is it a statement about
collective inability to act, climate change and multinational
corporations, or consumption?
Whatever the intentions, the video is oddly calming.
From Danish video collective Superflex.

A Series of Practical Performances In The Wilderness (3)

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moose_and_atv
moose and atv (2005, 2MB, 46 sec.)

springwater_finale
springwater finale (2005, 6.5MB, 2:27 min.)

Final two pieces, chapters 7 & 8, from

Invisible People

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Invisible People – Larry (2008, 48.6MB, 9:21)

Invisible People is a new project from Mark Horvath
that documents homelessness in Los Angeles. The
interviews are unedited, and it can honestly be hard
to watch some of them – but isn’t that the point?
The site comes with a warning:
Caution: some content may be offensive. Our hope is
you’ll get mad enough to do something.
This particular interview is one of my favorites, as Larry
is charismatic and Mark was able to capture that easily.
But I’d encourage you to go watch the others as well.
Mark himself is in a rough financial situation that might
soon land him back on the streets too.
Seems we are often our own best advocates.

MoTV News, Episode 1 – Marisa Olson

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moTVNews_episode1
MoTV News, Episode 1 (2005, 13.6MB, 6:20 min.)

During her American Idol audition training process,
Marisa Olson asked MTV News veteran Tabitha Soren to interview her and
then critique her

Monochrom – Killing Capitalism with Christmas

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Kiki and Bubu and the Feelings (2008, 48.9MB, 4:48 min)

More splendid agit-puppetry from monochrom.

More from Les Filmistes

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toma
La vitesse – Toma (2005, 7MB, 1 min.)

raphael
La Vitesse – Raphael (2005, 6.8 MB, 1 min.)

linda
La telephon portable – Linda (2005, 5.6MB, 1 min.)

Another round of videos from Les Filmistes Associ

By Mica.

Mischa Kuball – Public Square

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Mischa Kuball – Public Square (date unknown, 4.4MB, 2:41)

Do you miss the public square, the everyperson
common space? Yeah, so did Mischa Kuball. So
he made this. It’s quite fantastic. Enjoy.

Les Filmistes

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jair
Le premier idee est toujours la meilleure – Jair (2005, 2.7MB, 1 min.)

also
Les Suspense – Also (2005, 7.5 MB, 1 min.)

jim2
L

By Mica.

New York Times Special Edition – The War Is Over

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New York Times Special Edition (2008, 16.2MB, 2:12 min)

Self-explanatory movie giving background & reaction
to the day before yesterday’s visionary prank ( &
how often do you hear those two words together?)
by those visionary pranksters The Yes Men.
More here.
Breathtaking & inspiring.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Seth Brau – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2008, 18.1MB, 4:31)

Really lovely piece of moving typology from
Seth Brau of the Human Rights Action Center.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
turns 60 this year. Read the full text here.
Music from Rumspringa.
Video via Osocio

Voting

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voting
Voting (2008, 37.2MB, 13:37)

I know we featured the folks at Sporkworld only recently
but they just posted this and it’s wonderful
– & somewhat topical…
Watch it all – it’s deadly serious but Millie Niss
makes her points with the kind of comic timing
many would kill for.

Protest Films

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Alex Pearl – Protest Film Nottingham (2006, 7.6MB, 1:36)

Protest films…usually films about people protesting
something unjust in the world.
Or, perhaps you meant Protest Films, the conceptual
robot-banner-waving collection of videos wherein
little machines “protest,” more generally speaking.
This is the first from the long-running,
Arts Council-supported series from artist
and renaissance man Alex Pearl.
If you’d like to participate or create your own
Clockwork Protest, visit the blog and email Alex
for a protest kit.

Rebecca Bray & Britta Riley – Feedback Interview

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submersibledesign (2008, 6.6MB, 3:04 min.)

What happens when we think of our bodies as their own ecosystems?
Interview with Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray, artists and collaborators who also
own a company called submersible design.
From eyebeam.

Tough Enough

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Lukas Blakk – Tough Enough (2006, 11.4MB, 3:41)

Lovely, poignant film from Lukas Blakk,
who always says such honest things,
even if she’s mostly too busy to post anymore.

Monochrom & the Bolshevik Glove Puppets

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kiki and bubu and the good plan
Kiki and Bubu and the Good Plan (2008, 74MB, 7:24 min)

kiki and bubu and the shift
Kiki and Bubu and the Shift (2008, 39MB, 4:11 min)

Well, almost.
Marred only by some fashionable end-of-the-working-class-in-the-West
(who collects your trash, checks out your groceries, teaches your kids?)
nonsense, this is on the whole the finest piece of glove puppet based
agit-prop I’ve ever seen & very funny to boot.
In particular the best of these pieces,Kiki and Bubu and the Good Plan,
is an absolutely clear & devastating reply to the marketeers…
See ’em all…

Skye Bender-deMoll

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Skye Bender-deMoll – Organic Brand Ownership Networks (2007, 9MB, 0:18)

We love moving charts and maps, in case you couldn’t tell.
This one, from Skye Bender-deMoll, features organic food brands
circa late 2007, and their often overlooked connections.
The yellow nodes are food processors, blue are investment firms,
green are organic brands, and red are new organic brand introductions.
via Another Limited Rebellion

Africalls

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Africalls Trailer
Africalls Trailer (2008, 23.3MB, 1:57 min)

If this rather lovely trailer is anything to go by then Africalls
the movie proper, by director Pere Ortin Andres, will display a pretty high level of visual
sensitivity to its subject matter -art & artists from urban centers of Africa.
(And I can’t help feeling something visually so good is also going to be truthful &
meticulous in its account of the artists and their context. A hunch, but I bet I’m not wrong.)

Apparently it’s tied in with a book & exhibition too. Strikes me all three would be well worth
catching/booking.
Here’s the website.

The Listening Project

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The Listening Project (2008, 31.5MB, 2:43)

It feels a bit cliched, but I’ll give this one the
benefit of the doubt, of doing relevant and
important work about the current state of
global relations.

The Listening Project is a documentary feature film
that puts a human face to world opinion of the U.S.
Filmed in 14 countries, it explores many facets of
America

Kill the Artist

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trailer
Kill the Artist Trailer (2008, 17MB, 2:37 min)

Mike Diana
Kill the Artist (excerpt) (2008, 12.7MB, 1:09 min)

Documentary from Andreas Troeger about ‘artists who got into trouble with the law
because of their art-works’.
Personally I don’t share what I understand to be the film’s implicit
libertarianism – I’m all in favour of shutting down, for example,
Holocaust deniers, or race hate merchants generally.
Niether did I see any work in the extracts sent that I gave a damn about artistically
but of course the point is that censorship operates salami style
& often by picking the most problematic, hard to defend, cases first,
so the discussion here matters.
Nonetheless when the definitive history of political censorship of/attacks upon art in the early
twenty first century is written I can’t help feeling the Steve Kurtz case
will figure more largely than the stuff on display here.
Interested what others think.

Monochrom

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irark
‘Irark’ (2003, 5.7 MB, 5 min.)

Me
‘ME’ (2001, 18.5 MB, 2:45 min.)

Simply great stuff from Austrian Monochrom.

Sex Positive

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Daryl Wein – Sex Positive (2008, 16MB, 2:43)

Groundbreaking film from 24-year-old Daryl Wein.
I hate it when people mention my youthful age, but
I think since I know my motivations for doing it, I’ll
just accept that we all mean it as a compliment.

Wein’s portrait of 1980s AIDS activist Richard Berkowitz
is such a contribution to our modern understanding of the
history of AIDS and gay rights activism. One of the first
to speak out about the need for safe sex in the gay
community, Berkowitz was ridiculed and ostracized.
This excellent documentary finds Berkowitz today and
revisits his time as an S&M sex worker before becoming
an outspoken critic of the AIDS epidemic. Much of the older
footage is also courtesy of Berkowitz.
An outstanding collaboration.

Standard Operating Procedure

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Errol Morris – Standard Operating Procedure (2008, 11.2MB, 2:00)

We don’t hide our love for Errol Morris – see here
and here – but there’s no need for us to apologize.
The man is a genius. His latest feature, Standard
Operating Procedure, interviews Abu Ghraib prison
guards and tells the story behind the now-infamous
photographs of abuse from the prison, uncovered in
2003. Dubbed a “nonfiction horror film” by Morris,
this investigative film, much like A Thin Blue Line,
helped Morris once again dig deeper into a crime
file, this one just more contemporary.

When you see a picture, you don’t see outside the frame.

With the frightening pictures as a jumping off point,
Morris interviews those involved with the scandal to
get the whole story.
Can’t wait to see this one.

Rock History

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goodjoke
Rock History (2006, 6.3 MB, 2:34 min.)

Ugly pictures and Man VS Magnet have created a short film play before
the Battle of the Ad Bands at Irving Plaza in New York. (The show is a
charity venue where advertising agency garage bands compete for the
best band and all the proceeds go to help the public schools of New York.)
The result is a funny and hilarious and violent animation about the recent
music history, and especially the design of the LPs.
from its art mag.

Blow Up Media

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delos
DELOS (2007, 36 MB, 7:15 min.)

A great corporate satire by The Blow Up Media.
thanks yoshi.

Ride with Theo

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ridewiththeo
Ride with Theo (2005, 27.7MB, 6 min.)

Directed in 2005 by Owen Plotkin of the now corporation
(Owen is also behind the excellent gaaagled.com)
this is a piece of viral advertising for an annual bike ride to raise
money for leukaemia research at Hammersmith hospital, London.
It features the splendid Theodore Bouloukos, whom regular dvblog
viewers will have seen & admired in Doron Golan�s recent piece.

Lossy Video

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Hollywood News
Hollywood News (2006, 2.7MB, 1:06 min. )

Saddam on Trial
Saddam on Trial (2006, 1.9MB, 52 sec)

Two pieces from the Montreal based video collective Lossy Video.
The idea being to take news footage & ..er..look at it closely.
The results are undeniably capable, attractive & interesting.
Reminds me, conceptually, of Mark Tribe

The French Democracy

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TheFrenchDemocracy
The French Democracy (2005, 39.7MB, 13:09 min)

Quite remarkable piece of Machinima from France, dealing with
the riots there by oppressed North African and Arab youth.
The subtitling and translation ( ‘I had some training to do’ says koulamata,
the author, rather disarmingly) are hit and miss, to say the least -but it would
be wrong to view this as an ‘all your base are belong to us’ curiosity.
The very strangeness of the English translation, the sheer virtuosity of shaping
the fairly recalcitrant source material into a coherent 13 minute plus narrative
means that its honesty and sincerity shine through at every moment.
There is an interesting discussion of the piece on the Machinima.com site.

Hack.it.art

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Hack.it.art
what the hack it art (2005, 33.5MB, 3:22 min.)

Hack.it.art was an exhibition and event about hacktivism in Italy.
Video of the opening night by Florian Cramer.

Flat Earth – Thomson & Craighead

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flat_earth
Flat Earth (2007, 22 MB, 7:08 min.)

“Flat Earth is a desktop documentary, which takes the viewer on
a seven minute trip around the world so that we encounter a series
of fragments taken from real peoples’ blogs. These fragments are
knitted together to form a kind of story or singular narrative.”
from Thomson & Craighead.

German Political dogs?

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haekelkreuz
haekelkreuz (2005, 10.5MB, 1:52 min.)

“I

The Golden Age of Barcodes

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Dion Laurent – The Golden Age of Barcodes (2004, 27.6MB, 5:05)

Dion Laurent’s project is a “multi-ethnic international
representation of procreation and population explosion,
increased consumerism and capitalism, and the
commodification and devastation of our natural world.”
Enough said.

LOOK

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LOOK (2007, 10.3MB, 1:43)

Trailer for LOOK, the movie, which is composed
entirely of surveillance camera footage.
LOOK asks (and attempts to answer) questions about
security versus privacy, highly relevant in modern,
legitimately paranoid times.
Are you always alone when you think you are?

Terra Nova: The Antarctic Suite – Paul D. Miller

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djspooky_antarctica
Terra Nova: The Antarctic Suite (excerpt) (2008, 31 MB, 5:36 min.)

‘A look into the creative process of the making of DJ Spooky

Invisible Threads: Sweatshop Jean Factory in Second Life

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recruitment
Invisible Threads (2008, 18.3 MB, 2:53 min.)

Stephanie Rothenburg & Jeff Crouse will be producing designer blue jeans.
Styles include boot cut, skinny leg, flare and the new “Boyfriend” trousers.
Profits from these purchases will be used to maintain the factory and pay for
workers

Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize

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Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize (2006, 20.9MB, 2:19)

Another important, striking piece from the
Media That Matters Film Festival 6.
The filmmaker, Jacob Caggiano, is a young man who I
believe is even younger than me, and according to him,
the whole short film came together at the last minute.
I think this is a beautiful effort.

Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary)

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Asparagus! (A Stalk-umentary) – (2006, 65.8MB, 6:05)

From the excellent Media That Matters, powered by Arts Engine,
a short film from the Media Matters Film Festival 6.
Submissions are soon due for the 8th annual online festival.
Since I saw much of 6 on the big screen last year,
I’m reposting some of the most striking pieces.
All pieces are made by youth or other independent producers,
all under eight minutes.
This stalkumentary is also a 72-minute documentary,
cut down here to reach a wider audience.
Stories like these make so much sense to me,
being from a similar area, similar background.
Poignantly done, this is a lovely piece.
I also happen to really like asparagus.

Body of War

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Body of War (2007, 16.8MB, 2:30)

Trailer for the forthcoming documentary about
paralyzed Iraqi veteran Tomas Young’s fight to tell
the truth about the war.
Sad and informative, not to be missed.
Produced by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue,
original music by Eddie Vedder.

Kevin Flanagan – Transformations

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transformations
Transformations v 1.0 (2007, 54MB, 2:47 min)

We’ve featured some of Irish artist Kev Flanagan’s work here
before.
He’s just started a new video blog which manifests a radically different
approach to that of his previous work.
Here’s an example – it’s slow (in a good sense), meditative and hypnotic.
Kev says he’s been looking at a lot of Chris Marker’s work – I can see that high
seriousness coming through, but this puts me in mind more of Tarkovsky or
particularly Tarkovsky’s sensibility in the face of natural phenomena.

What Would Jesus Buy?

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Trailer for ,
a documentary about Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping,
produced by Morgan Spurlock.
I’m not convinced that Spurlock is the man to spread a good message,
but I sure would go to any church where Rev. Billy showed up.
DRIVE THE DEMONS OUT OF THOSE CASH REGISTERS!!

Patrick Lichty Season – #2

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One Language, Indivisible
One Language, Indivisible (2003, 20.9MB, 2:52 min)

Corporate Ritual
Corporate Ritual (2003, 5.4MB, 1:43 min)

Corporate Ritual
America’s Most Famous Mexican (2003, 9MB, 1:41 min)

‘Two!’ I hear you cry ‘Two! – WHEN WAS ONE!?’
Well it was er..um..in April & I meant to post more
sooner only I was just plain dilatory.
Partly because the body of work Patrick has handed over
to us is simply somewhat overwhelming in volume & scope
& I’m actually a bit overawed.
So now I’ve grabbed the bull by the horns & am going to
post these three, which showcase Lichty the radical.
They’re funny, pointed and (always a good sign with political art
IMHO) really, really weird…
[Actually, coming back to revise this post, it occurred to me
I don’t think Swiftian is entirely hyperbolic]
There’ll be more before too long…

Deaf Culture

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Deaf
Deaf (2006, 5.7MB, 56 sec.)

Volcano
Volcano (2006, 7.6MB, 54 sec.)

Two beautiful & expressive poems in sign language.

The first is in British sign language
& comes from the deaf arts forum in Edinburgh,
Scotland. There are subtitles for the hearing.

The second is in American Sign Language & is written &
performed by Ellie, a sixth grader at the Metro deaf school in St Paul.

No translation for this one, so non signers should bear
the title in mind & enjoy the volcanic performance.

Inflatables in Public Space

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JooYoun Paek – Self-Sustainable Chair (2007, 4.2MB, 1:37)

Joo Youn Paek demonstrates how to use her
self-sustaining chair on a walk down the street.
This and several related excellent related projects
originate in the NYU ITP program.


Real DMB TU – Life Dress (2007, 5.2MB, 0:33)

From Anna Maria Cornelia (also known by pseudonym
Ann De Gersem), a Life Dress which allows a person
to create instant personal boundaries in public.
As a woman often bothered by unwanted attention
in public – not to mention a lover of profound design
– I am so pleased by this concept, even if the end
result might be even more unsolicited scrutiny.
The dress is featured here in a commercial for
South Korea’s mobile broadcast service, TU Media.

Peace Not War – Glass Bead Collective

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Peace Not War
Peace not War(2007, 33.8MB, 1:06 min.)

Will this action/piece by the Glass Bead Collective hasten the
end of any war? Dunno – nice to think so, but I’m sceptical.
What it certainly does, though, is to add considerably to the
store of human wonder.
When we stop our lords & masters spending money on invasions,
& we’ve fed & housed everyone, then we should definitely
spend some of what’s left on high-powered projectors.

Smolarski/Langager – <em>Robert Roth's 'Health Proxy'</em>

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Robert Roth
Readings from ‘Health Proxy’ (2007, 32.7MB, 8:19 min.)

So..declaration of interest..Robert Roth is a friend of mine & I get mentioned in the book.
Nonetheless, if he was my worst enemy, I’d still say watch this, then .
Health Proxy is pretty much sui generis..the only comparisons I can think of being those fragmentary, diaristic things in the Japanese tradition:The Pillow Book or Essays in Idleness.
Of course Kenko & Sei Shonagon never wrote about baseball or AIDS,
nor were they animated by the massively warm oppositional & radical spirit we find here.
The video is a nice job too – not only is it elegantly made, but Langager and Smolarski
pass the documentary acid test of honouring their subject matter whilst still creating
something with a palpable sense of their authorship.