Photo: Anna Jermolaewa
Photo: Ivan Krupchik
19.05.2012 | 11 am – 8 pm | KW Institute for Contemporary Art
No Revolution without Innovation
a workshop with Srđa Popovič and Anna Jermolaewa
Visual artist and activist Anna Jermolaewa and Srđa Popovič, founder of the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS) of the University of Belgrade, organize a workshop about the methods of nonviolent struggle and the role of art within those. The workshop takes place on 19.5.2012, 11 am–8 pm at KW Institute for Contemporary Art.
As a preparation for the workshop participants are invited to design and perform a nonviolent action addressing to any restriction or prejudgment that women are facing in their society. Please send a video or photographs of this action as well and a short report indicating basic information about your campaign to the following address until 15.5.2012: norevolutionwithoutinnovation@gmail.com.
Srđa Popovič is one of the founders of the Serbian nonviolent resistance group OTPOR which led to the downfall of President Slobodan Milosevic, when hundreds of thousands of protestors took over the Serbian Parliament in 2000. In 2003 he founded the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies (CANVAS), a non-profit educational institution spreading knowledge on nonviolent strategies and tactics to be used in nondemocratic countries. More recently he has worked with April 6th, a key group in the Egyptian uprising, and with other groups from the Middle East. His book, Nonviolent Struggle 50 Crucial Points, co-authored with Andrej Milivojevic and Slobodan Djinovic, is one of the leading manuals on public mobilization for human rights and democracy activists worldwide.
Anna Jermolaewa is a Russian artist, who was political active against the regime of the USSR in the 1980s in organizing governmental- critical demonstrations, co- founding the first oppositional party as well as the journal of the party. Being charged with anti- sowjet propaganda, she had to flee from the USSR in 1989. In her artworks and projects she is criticizing and dealing with the grievance and disparity in the distribution of power on a private, socially and a political level. Currently she is actively supporting the opposition in Russia that is working with “classical” methods of resistance like demonstrations and flyers as well as with happenings that ridicule the regime. In St. Petersburg p.e. a chorus of horns as a symbol of disapproval was taking place while Putin was driving through the city and in the Siberian Barnaul toys were provided with protest signs against the corruption and electoral malpractice in order to avoid the banning of the demonstrations there. Those and other examples of the non- violent forms of protest in Russia will be discussed within the workshop.
The workshop “NO REVOLUTION WITHOUT INNOVATION” will be open to the public and will contain theoretical and practical parts.
BLOCK 1
Introduction to People Power and nonviolent struggle and role of creativity, art, design and music in contemporary nonviolent conflict.
BLOCK 2
Practical exercise “The movement against stupid restrictions (MARS)”
Participants will analyze a case study of freedom-solidarity campaign called MARS, its goals, structure, messages and how they are related to the concept of nonviolent struggle. Everybody, neither able to attend the workshop in Berlin personally or not, is invited to participate into this case study that will be presented during the workshop. Please find more information on this on the website of Berlin Biennale. Please feel invited to join the workshop also for the case that you can not participate into our MARS project.
BLOCK 3
Practical exercise creating innovative direct nonviolent action. Participants will explain logic behind selection of nonviolent tactics and tactical framework for building their own activity. They will be introduced to the concept of dilemma action. Divided into smaller groups they will brainstorm and draft their own dilemma action.
BLOCK 4
Group presentation A representative from each group will present their creative ideas for innovative nonviolent action.
19.05.2012 | 11 am – 8 pm | KW Institute for Contemporary Art
The movement against stupid restrictions (MARS)
Inspired by the great example of young Saudi activist Manal al-Sherif, who became world symbol of women rights struggle, authors of the workshop came to the idea to create case study of small direct action called MARS.
Taking into consideration that the right to drive a car is considered to be a part of everyday life for men and women and in some countries it is still a dream, participants will create a small nonviolent provocative direct action in solidarity with Manal al-Sherif.
How to join MARS case study?
Artists and activists who want to volunteer in this case study are invited to design direct nonviolent action addressing to any senseless restriction or prejudgment that women are facing in that society. It can be something substantial and restricted by the laws and customs, tradition or religion. But, it also can be an issue in dealing with prejudgment that women are not supposed to drive buses or bulldozers; they are not supposed to go fishing. Examples of inspiring and successful nonviolent action performed effectively and with limited resources can be found here.
After designing an activity volunteers should perform designed act and videotape it or provide photos. It would be great if our case study symbol of the movement is visible on recording and printable posters or printed on the tee-shirts. Having the same visual identity will help the video installation and the idea of the movement by adding “group identity” factor. Additional you should write a short report indicating basic information about your MARS campaign event, date, time, place, short description and details about your organization, so we make sure your innovative work and kind contribution can be presented at the workshop “NO REVOLUTION WITHOUT INNOVATION”.
Please send your video and short description to the following adress: norevolutionwithoutinnovation@gmail.com. If you have any questions regarding MARS, please do not hesitate to contact us under the same adress.
