Jeff Mangum for Occupy Wall Street
“2011 has been called the “year of protest”, as mass movements in the Arab world challenge oppressive governments, students occupy campuses and massed groups of youths burn English cities.” (Johnny Rodger)
On Friday I was invited by Ranjana Thapalyal to teach on the Master of Research in Creative Practices, run by Research and Postgraduate Studies at the Graduate School in The Glasgow School of Art on protest in songs, poetry and art (in the latter I very much deferred to my audience, and learned more than I could teach!) It was great fun, and best of all was adding to my very North-Western perspective with some recent examples from China, Hungary, Mexico and Brazil that the students showed us. I’ve put my notes from the session, with links, online at: https://ellenmcateer.wordpress.com/protest-works/, for anyone else who’s interested. Hope to add links as I learn about them, so please send them in if you’ve got them! If you’re interested, the excellent Johnny Rodger of the GSA, and those other activists at The Drouth are organising a talk on Art Movements in the City, looking at how artists can draw on Glasgow’s radical tradition to channel mass movements to positive effect. Open talk: Thursday 13th October, Mackintosh Lecture Theatre, 7pm.
Ellen McAteer 