Hello, everyone! Ryan and I are back in our respective hometowns, enjoying family and friends for the holidays. There will be no posts this week, and hopefully we’ll stay away from the computer for a while!
There will be new and great things coming up for Groundswell this year, and we look forward to doing it with all of you.
Happy holidays to all – we’ll see you in the new year!
We’re winding down the end of the year, and the Groundswell Collective is preparing for 2008. So, the posts this week may have been fewer than in past weeks, but here you can rely on your daily dose of art and activism. That said, here is the round-up:
Thanks again to the friends who contributed links this past week!
The David Report offers up an important bulletin on sustainable design. Called “The Sustainable Wheel,” the bulletin describes “an imaginary wheel created by Designboost which could work as a tool for designers, companies and organisations when defining sustainable design. You will also find an interview with designer researcher Jennifer Leonard.”
They’re offering an important perspective here:
The climate debate is probably the one sole topic getting the most attention in the global media torrent. The discussions on sustainable design are there, lurking in the shadows, but David Report is of the opinion that the concept is too narrow. Often it is about romanticising different ways of production, with emphasis on the environmental aspect which of course is important, but we shouldn’t forget that design is more complex than that. ”Green” or ”eco” are only parts of the concept sustainable design.
UPDATE: Ricardo Dominguez is threatened with city, county, state, and federal criminal charges for his work. Details can be found here.
The Transborder Immigrant Project, which recently received the Transnational Communities Award for their Transborder Immigrant Tool, is a system developed by artist Ricardo Dominguez that uses GPS-enabled mobile phones to help immigrants crossing the border between Mexico and the United States.
MobileActive.org conducted a conversation with Dominguez, in which the artist discusses the ability of art to address political issues, and the importance of freedom of expression in so doing:
There’s a long history of artists at the border creating gestures that question the very nature of the border,” said Ricardo. Because disturbance art is framed as art, and not as solely political activism, the “artivists” are given more leeway politically. “The reason they can’t stop us is that we always frame all these gestures within the poetic frame.” By framing politics as art, and art as inextricably linked to politics, projects like the Transborder Immigrant Tool are able to survive as both a life-saving device and an “artivist” concept.
Mark Fiore is a wiseass. He professionally drafts animated political cartoons that are satire and mockery at its best. In fact, the Wall Street Journal once said that he is “the undisputed guru of the form.”
Fiore couples his art with links to efforts tackling the problems addressed in the cartoons. He also supplies the back stories so you stay informed about the topics he addresses. Should you need to vent, he started 1-877-415-TOON so that readers could leave audio messages on the site for others to hear.
Thanks to my friend Samina for the link!
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