[spectre] (fwd) Sign the Petition: Release Ai Weiwei

[marc garrett]

Hi Heath & all,

I remember when you were arrested, and I was one of those who wrote a 
letter of support to the courts.

Ai Weiwei's work, smells of trad-art elitism and top-down, modernist 
orientated laziness to me.

But of course, one cannot judge whether an individual or group are worth 
support through taste alone. If that was the case I would run a mile...

As Rob already mentioned, perhaps anyone deserves help if suppressed - 
but, I also appreciate your criticism around "hyper inflation in the 
attention economy".

I do have my own misgivings about all of this, and like Heath did wonder 
to myself if Furtherfield or myself were in trouble, whether the same 
kind of support/activity would be generated?

Having said this, even though I have grave doubts and distrust regarding 
the hierarchies in the media art field. Who I feel have too easily 
fallen into Darwinist modes of behaviour in the past (history tells me 
this); this is, a different situation and context, but the niggling 
question remains.

What we're witnessing here, is one form of hegemony battling it out with 
another - a clash of ideologies - and definitely not idealism.

If we do support Ai Weiwei, are 'really' becoming precarious workers for 
a marketing campaign for a greater, neo-liberalist agenda?

like Heath, I have questions...

Wishing all well.

marc

 >this seems a very similar situation to julian assange.
 >instead of the social network supporting a member of
 >the blood rank, we should be supporting social justice
 >and human rights and those that work using such methods






 > On Thu, 14 Apr 2011, Andreas Broeckmann wrote:
 >
 > andreas broeckmann
 >
 > can you explain why you are campaigning for this person ?
 >
 > are you sure he not guilty of tax evasion ?
 >
 > does the fact that this campaign is supported by so many elite 
organisation not make you question this campaign ?
 >
 > i didn't note much interest or support in my case when i was arrested 
every time i entered or exited the united kingdom or when i was 
disappeared by the UK secret police and accused falsely of bomb threats 
at a london airport - i was facing up to 7 years in prison
 >
 > this was a result of my work with borders and identity and i still live
 > under surveillance
 >
 > in the similar manner that no one benefits from my rise through the 
art stratosphere, hence no rise or stardom, who is benefiting from Ai 
Weiwei and his hyper inflation in the attention economy ?
 >
 > Ai Weiwei campaign seems a classic case of elite people protecting 
their own transgressions (tax evasion) and profiting from disaster 
capitalism rather than universal human rights and human rights workers, 
such as artists
 >
 > would there be an international campaign by elite institutions to 
support a independent artist, such as myself ?
 >
 > this seems a very similar situation to julian assange. instead of the 
social network supporting a member of the blood rank, we should be 
supporting social justice and human rights and those that work using 
such methods
 >
 > Ai Weiwei is clearly a member of the international blood rank posing 
a social networker - an astroturfer
 >
 > this strikes me a co-option of the social network for the purposes 
and values of the elite
 >
 > hope you can answer some of these questions
 >
 > hope you are well
 >
 > heath bunting
 >
 >> On April 3, internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was 
detained at the Beijing airport while en route to Hong Kong, and his 
papers and computers were seized from his studio compound.
 >> Sign now! we need to reach 100,000 signatures!
 >> 
http://www.change.org/petitions/call-for-the-release-of-ai-weiwei#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=t
 >>
 >> 'The members of the international arts community express their 
concern for Ai's freedom and disappointment in China's reluctance to 
live up to its promise to nurture creativity and independent thought, 
the keys to "soft power" and cultural influence.
 >>
 >> The initiative has been taken working closely with Jerome Cohen, the 
leading Chinese human rights lawyer who is working on Weiwei's case, and 
who believes that this action could be effective.
 >> To support the petition you can link it on your website, on Facebook 
and Twitter sites, in order to quickly reach millions of people.'
 >>
 >> We need to reach 100,000 signatures.
 >>
 >> ______________________________________________
 >> SPECTRE list for media culture in Deep Europe
 >> Info, archive and help:
 >> http://post.in-mind.de/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/spectre
 >>
 >
 > ______________________________________________
 > SPECTRE list for media culture in Deep Europe
 > Info, archive and help:
 > http://post.in-mind.de/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/spectre
 >