Refers to a re-awakening of social, political and media activism brought on by access to cheap forms of communication, in particular, the Internet (see Net art). The phrase is thought to have come from the French philosopher Michel de Certeau, who suggested in his 1974 essay 'The Practice of Everyday Life' that as consumers were arguably the producers within our society, it was up to us to infiltrate the structures of power in a creative manner which would ultimately undermine them. Actions have included Flash-mob events, in which hundreds of people descend on a designated place at a particular time, clever manipulation of funding applications and rogue websites that purport to be official domains. Groups like Critical Art Ensemble print manuals on how to hack into classified websites, and the annual self-publishing event Publish and be Damned promotes fanzines, novels and comics bypassing the usual official channels.
- Part of Speech: noun
- Industry/Domain: Art history
- Category: General art history
- Company: Tate
Creator
- genart
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