Protest in Pride
Summary
Protest in Pride
2014, Work includes: live performance, workshop, installation and a publication
Protest in Pride was created as part of research that entangles multiple ongoing artistic projects that most typically use performance to investigate manifestations of resistance through symbols, actions, language or silence.
Supported by
The publication was funded in part by West Pride LGBTQ Festival
Description of project
Normative mainstreaming of GLBT Pride Parades create a homonormative expression of an event that was originally a social activist movement. This project investigates how the commodification and commercialization of queer lives and bodies effect the community but most important can be resisted.
Over the course of the exhibition that involves an installation in the Statens Bibliotek, live work, a workshop and publication people in Gothenburg were invited to make their own fist print onto large banners or onto their own personal flag that could be marched with during the Pride March occurring at the end of the workshop. During this process conversations were facilitated that discussed homo-normativity, the history of Pride events and of resistance.
The large fist print flags were flown during a live performance by Coble outside of the exhibition space alongside the street lined with rainbow flags. The flags were then also carried during the Pride Parade.
Installation in the Statens Bibliotek, Gothenburg:
20 protest banners that were made by Coble to reference the historical and contemporary “raised fist” iconography of organizations, individual artist and activist groups.
Examples were taken from "The Gay Manifesto" by Carl Whittman, written in 1970, "Stop the Draft Week", October, 1967, the "Anti Eviction Campaign, Western Cape" and “Project Fierce Chicago” to name a few.
Publication: A 44-page publication designed by Coble and distributed for free during the festival. The publication extends the research by presenting a visual and explanatory archive of over 50 'raised fists', along with an introduction text was co-written by Coble in collaboration with Louise Wolthers, the head researcher at the Hasselblad Foundation in Gothenburg Sweden.
Commissioned texts were also included such as that by Lincoln Cushing- "The Chimeral Clenched Fist" which provided a historical overview of the clenched fist symbol; by Mathias Danbolt "The Time for Raised Fists" offering a queer political argument for raising fists today and by "Raised Fist[ing]" by Hadassah Damien (reprinted with permission) which describes how queer sexual politics and practices intersect in the symbol of the clenched hand.
Type of work
live performance, workshop, installation, publication
Published in
En Konstig utstallning exhibited at the Statens Bibliotek as part of West Pride LGBTQ Festival, Gothenburg, SE
Link to web site
http://westpride.se
www.marycoble.com
http://westpride.se/blogg/en-konstig-utstallning
http://www.vartgoteborg.se/prod/sk/vargotnu.nsf/1/kultur_o_fritid,arets_west_pride_blir_en_konstig_festival
http://news.cision.com/se/west-pride/r/west-pride-2014---en-konstig-festival,c9538782
http://marycoble.com/performances-installations/protest-in-pride-2014
http://marycoble.com/zines-posters/protest-in-pride-zine-2014
Date
2014-06Creator
Coble, Mary
Keywords
Performativity
Political, Art and Activism
Time
Queer
Resistance
Raised Fists
Archive
Sexual Politics
Homo-normativity
Body
Publication type
artistic work
Language
eng