About this Event
As part of the public programming for Silent Coup, The Yes Men will be taking over a/political headquarters for a masterclass in creative activism, based on “tricksterism,” an ancient tradition that uses humour, poetics, subversion and surprise to fight oppressive power. The Yes Men are longtime innovators in the arena of meaningful mischief. Over the past two decades they have worked with dozens of organisations to develop media stunts that advance progressive campaign goals. Along the way they've trained, coached, and inspired activists all over the world to pull off their own attention-grabbing spectacles.
You will work with The Yes Men to come up with ideas on four topics that are raised in the new book Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy by Claire Provost and Matt Kennard. Co-author Matt Kennard will be working with The Yes Men to instruct attendees about the various legal mechanisms revealed in the book that have allowed corporations to thrive.
The Yes Men are renowned for their daring and satirical actions aimed at exposing corporate greed and societal injustices. Since their formation in the late 1990s, The Yes Men have become iconic figures in the realm of activism, employing humorous and creative tactics to provoke thought and challenge the status quo.
With a long list of notable stunts under their belt, The Yes Men have gained international recognition for their fearless activism. Their movies, including The Yes Men (2003), The Yes Men Fix the World (2009), and The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014), offer a behind-the-scenes look into their audacious actions and provide an insight into their motivations.
The Yes Men's stunts have become legendary. From impersonating corporate representatives to infiltrating conferences and events, they have orchestrated elaborate pranks that expose the absurdity of corporate power.
The following ten randomly selected stunts are examples of The Yes Men's creative and subversive approach to activism, using satire and deception to challenge powerful entities and promote social change.
1. ExxonMobil: Addressing climate change denial, the Yes Men impersonated ExxonMobil representatives at a conference and unveiled a fictitious renewable energy product called “Vivoleum” made from the human victims of climate change.
2. Halliburton: Critiquing disaster capitalism in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Yes Men posed as Halliburton executives and presented a plan for “solving the problem” of increased disasters by saving the rich with fortress couture for climate calamity: “Survivaballs.”
3. Dow Chemical: Shedding light on the Bhopal disaster, the Yes Men impersonated Dow Chemical representatives on BBC World News, accepting responsibility for the tragedy and announcing a comprehensive compensation plan, drawing attention to corporate negligence.
4. United States Chamber of Commerce: Challenging corporate influence on climate change policy, the Yes Men organized a fake press conference, in which they announced the Chamber's commitment to reducing emissions, highlighting the need for urgent environmental action.
5. World Trade Organization: Exposing the harmful consequences of globalization, the Yes Men held a mock press conference as WTO representatives, at first lampooning them with dark satire but eventually using their authority to apologize for the organization's past policies and advocating for fair trade practices that prioritize people and the planet.
6. Chevron: Addressing oil industry pollution and indigenous rights, the Yes Men hijacked a leaked Chevron greenwashing campaign, launching an improved, honest version before the company could launch the 90 million dollar plan themselves.
7. GE: Highlighting corporate tax avoidance, the Yes Men staged a press conference posing as GE representatives, announcing the company's commitment to giving the money they took from the public back, provoking discussions on income inequality and tax reform.
8. Shell: Opposing Arctic drilling, the Yes Men staged a fake Arctic Ready advertising campaign, creating a platform for users to design and share mock advertisements that criticized Shell's environmentally damaging practices, drawing attention to the urgent need for climate action.
9. HUD: Exposing the government’s plan to eliminate public housing after hurricane Katrina , the Yes Men impersonated the Department of Housing and Urban Development at a major conference and announced that they were going to make an about face on their policy and let people back into their homes, highlighting the housing crisis and advocating for accessible and equitable housing options.
10. Volkswagen: Confronting emissions cheating and corporate deception, the Yes Men launched a fake VW ad campaign in Houston apologizing for their emissions scandal, admitting they were fossil fuel addicts, and urging people to join them in the “Emissions Anonymous” pledge to wean from fossil fuels.
11. NRA: Taking aim at the National Rifle Association the Yes Men created "Share the Safety" an initiative to distribute guns to low-income communities, targeting the absurdity of the NRA's "more guns for safety" argument – and their racism. The stunt aimed to spark a conversation about gun control while revealing and challenging the NRA's racist roots.
Silent Coup is a new body of work by British artist Peter Kennard, based on a revelatory new book of the same name by investigative journalists Claire Provost and Matt Kennard, launching concurrently. The project marks the father and son duo’s first creative collaboration.
The book Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy, on which Peter’s response is based, is published by Bloomsbury Academic on the 4th of May. The volume is the result of investigative journalists Claire Provost and Matt Kennard’s reports from 25 countries around the world, and highlights the power grab that took place in the 20th century and made way for this new world order.
The Yes Men
The Yes Men work with activist organizations and student groups — sometimes in tandem — to support positive change around issues that matter, generally ones that don't already get the attention they deserve. The Yes Men also cheerlead other activists, bringing joy and humor to struggles that can sometimes feel hopeless and mobilize communities, helping turn affected bystanders into full-fledged participants.
www.juststopoil.org / @theyesmen on social media.
Matt Kennard
Matt Kennard is co-founder and chief investigator at Declassified UK, a news outlet investigating British foreign policy. He was a fellow and then director at the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ) in London. He has worked as a staff writer for the Financial Times in Washington DC, New York, and London. He is the author of two acclaimed books: Irregular Army (2012) and The Racket (2015). He lives in London.
www.declasiffieduk.org / @mattkennard on social media.
Peter Kennard
Peter Kennard was born in London in 1949 and lives and works in Hackney, East London. He studied at the Slade and the Royal College of Art. His work has been at the cutting edge of political art since his work protesting the Vietnam War in 1968. His photomontages, installations and paintings are known globally, gaining exposure in galleries, on the streets, in newspapers, magazines, posters and books. In recent years his work has been included in many group exhibitions, including Media Burn; Tate Modern. Rude Britannia, Tate Britain; Forms of Resistance, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven and solo exhibitions including, At Earth in Raven Row, London. He had a year-long retrospective, Peter Kennard: Unofficial War Artist , at the Imperial War Museum in 2015-16. His work is in many public collections including, in the UK, Tate, Victoria and Albert Museum, Imperial War Museum, Science Museum, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, British Council and Arts Council Collection. He has had 6 books published, his most recent Peter Kennard: Visual Dissent, Pluto Press 2019. He is Professor of Political Art at the Royal College of Art, London.
www.peterkennard.com / @peterkannardx on social media.
a/political
a/political explores radical knowledge through the principle of Cultural Terror. Working with artists and agitators, the collective platforms voices that interrogate the critical issues and dominant narratives of our time. a/political functions through interventions, commissions and a collection of contemporary art. Projects include ORDER with Democracia; Black Flag with Santiago Sierra; The Game and INSURRECTION with Andres Serrano and Alamut with Laibach. Recently initiated, the a/political label uses the same methodology to collaborate on music projects that might be unsuitable for the mainstream industry. a/political is based in London, working closely with The Foundry and FOUNDRY UNIFORM in Maubourguet, Midi-Pyrénées.
www.a-political.org / @apoliticalorg on social media.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
a/political, 6 Stannary Street, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00 to GBP 15.00
