Tue, 26 Oct 1999 found The Evolution Control Committee writing:
>At 02:59 PM 10/26/99 +0900, you wrote:
>>i was just glancing at this at the bookstore yesterday so forgive me for
>>not even knowing the artist's name...
>>
>>but basically in a publication called something like asia/pacific arts...
>>they had big glowing mcdonalds arches on the cover. and inside an article
>>about the artist who said he wanted to take the symbol out of context etc.
>>etc. etc.... BUT with every picture of the exhibit it said that it was
>>supported by McDonalds.
>>
>>is it just me or does that sort of take away from the impact?
>
> This is exactly the feeling I had with Negativland's _Dispepsi_
>release. It served to take their name/corporate entity out of the normal
>contexts (advertising and merchandise) and put it in a different one, but
>not one that really seemed to adequately critique, question, and explore
>what the symbology meant. Not that everything must be a political statement
>or a pot shot at The Man, but Pepsi doesn't need any more PR than it gets
>and unless the PR is distinctly scathing, then it's positive.
I think Dispepsi is pretty damn scathing, actually. if it was anyone but
Negativland they probably would have been sued for libel. ( I heard that
their lawyers warned them about that.) now it may be true what they say
about "any publicity is good publicity" but if so then ANY criticism is
actually impotent. which i dont believe.
also it's just not a very good comparision. Dispepsi was not funded by
Pepsi, whereas the example Philo cited was "about" mcdonald's but was
funded by McDonald's. the point is that even if it WAS a "scathing"
critique its integrity would be suspect. No matter what the impact of the
work, it is reduced by the monetary involvement of the subject.
This is also precisely why, in my opinion, the right to free sampling is
something to fight for. A lot of people say the solution is just to pay
for all samples. But to give money to who you're critiqueing is ethically
repulsive.
smh
Steev Hise, Infoserf
steevAThise.org http://www.cyborganic.com/people/steev
recycled art site: http://www.detritus.net
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