culture jamming

[rioters bloc]

so, for those who don't know what culture jamming is, here's the wiki def:


Culture jamming is the act of using existing mass media to comment on those very media themselves, using the original medium's communication method. It is based on the idea that advertising is little more than propaganda for established interests, and that there is little escape from this propaganda in industrialized nations. Culture jamming's intent differs from that of artistic appropriation (which is done for art's sake) and vandalism (where destruction or defacement is the primary goal), although its results are not always so easily distinguishable.

The phrase "culture jamming" comes from the idea of radio jamming: that public frequencies can be pirated and subverted for independent communication, or to disrupt dominant frequencies. The Situationist International first made the comparison to radio jamming in 1968, when it proposed the use of guerrilla communication within mass media to sow confusion within the dominant culture.

Culture jamming is a form of activism and a resistance movement to the perceived hegemony of popular culture, based on the ideas of "guerrilla communication" and the "detournement" of popular icons and ideas. It has roots in the German concept of spass guerilla and in the Situationist International. Forms of culture jamming include adbusting, performance art, graffiti, and hacktivism (such as cybersquatting).


so in other words, culture jamming is another medium of expression in a society which typically limits our speech. one of the ideas which really struck me, in no logo [naomi klein] was that companies who put out billboards and ads at bus stops etc. are forcing their ideas onto us in order to promote a more consumerist culture, and we aren't given a chance to talk back to them [since we lack the money needed to put up these kinds of ads].

i guess its obvious, but i'd never really thought about it in that way before - that the general public is restricted from voicing their opinions in public [except for some cases, and even then its very heavily regulated eg. needing a permit for a protest] through the criminilsation of graffiti and things like RTS and critical mass. but because these corporations have shitloads of money, they're dominating public space with theire views, and the state is helping them by limiting other forms of discourse.

i think i repeated myself there about 5 times but its something i find really interesting and exciting but am still unable to articulate properly.

so, anyone got any cool examples of culture jams or ideas for more effective culture jamming they wanna throw up? :)

ill take some photos of some of the stuff we do [we being the feminist underground guerilla group] next time we go on a fugg run. we tend not to stick around for long though and the next day its always gone :(

[OkaCrisis]

I love finding ads or billboards that have been 'jammed'. They remind me that I'm not alone in my detest of all that is corporate. :)

There's a new Starbucks in Toronto in an area that is slowly but surely undergoing some major gentrification.
As of right now though, the corner that it's on is just NOT a place for a Starbucks (but then what is?!), it's just on the border of Queen West (trendy area driving the gentrification westbound) and Parkdale (low-class, high crime area).

It's already been vandalized, and of course painted over, but I'd like to add my 2 cents. I was thinking of painting "Fuck Corporate America" on it, or "US coffee=US bombs" or something to that effect.

Any ideas, or more importantly, tips or reccommendations to facillitate a smooth getaway?

[pedro san pedro]

i can remember seeing plans for a nice jam on star bucks - go in a steal a whole lotta the cups that they use for takeaway coffee - they say 'starbucks coffee' around the logo. using a green pen, blank out the s,t,a,r,b,s,c,e and e, and put an f where the b was. the cups now read 'fuck off'. return the cups and sit back to watch peoples reactions

[pedro san pedro]

al la this type of thing.....

[poster_child]

Or like my pic!

Good idea though.. I'll have to try that one.

[Jimmie Higgins]

I think politically it's a dead end. An interesting thing that happened a few years ago was that Nike started "tagging" their own billboards. They put "made from 100% sweatshop labor" in graffiti-style print on some billboards in Australia.

So, in isolation, it's simply propaganda. As movements pick up, though I think it will become pervasive and people will actually have a sort of public debate through different postings and grafiti and so on.

Culturaly and artisically I love it though and look forward to the time when revolutionary activity really heats up and we start seeing wheat-pasteing , graffiti and political fliers on every inch of public space.

[OkaCrisis]

Originally posted by [email protected] 10 2005, 02:56 AM
I think politically it's a dead end. An interesting thing that happened a few years ago was that Nike started "tagging" their own billboards. They put "made from 100% sweatshop labor" in graffiti-style print on some billboards in Australia.

---

Culturaly and artisically I love it though and look forward to the time when revolutionary activity really heats up and we start seeing wheat-pasteing , graffiti and political fliers on every inch of public space.
It's funny how Nike would recognise the power of 'jammed' ads, and use the tactic as a marketing ploy. Adaptive little coroporations!

I find it particularly repulsive that in Toronto right now there is a huge debate about public space and postering that's aim is to reduce/limit/ban individual's use of public space, all the while, more and more city garbage bins (not to mention every other square inch of 'public' space) are sporting ads sponsored by huge corporations. It really begs the question "whose space is public space" and "who exactly can afford to have their voices heard?"

I love the "fuck off" on the cups idea! I'm going to have to figure out a way to get my hands on their cup supply though... Hmmm...

[Spark]

I personally love culture jamming, but am not really that creative when it comes to doing any myself. I'd love to get my hands a can of red spray paint though. There is a bus that typically parks down the street from me (I assume its used for tours of the city) and the name of the bus line, printed in big yellow and black letters on the side is "BOURGEOISE"

Oh, how much I would love to put some hammers and sickles on it along with a few red stars. I'm sure I'll do it one day. :P

[1984]

There are some softwares (usually freeware) that blocks not only pop-ups but internet banners too.

Someone gotta invent the analogous for street ads and outdoors. And TV and radio commercials too.

:P

[Ownthink]

The billboard in the movie Fight Club that says...

"Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with motor oil?

Brought to you by the Environmental Protection Agency"

That is probably a good example of Culture Jamming/Spass Guerilla

[flames of the flag]

I remember when i first started culture jamming a couple years back i used to print these bumper stickers that say "Im changing the climate, ask me how" and put htem on the bumpers of huge SUVS. Long story short, an altercation took place between me and an SUV owning prick. so i gave up on that for awhile. Now im like "damn, those stickers were so good" but i cant remember the website i [rinted them from, anyone know what that site is? id greatly appreciate it.

[pedro san pedro]

i think the site was www.warmingourclimate.com or something similar. but to the best of my knowledge it is now down

[Seong]

I think culture jamming is a great idea if it's done properly like the Starbucks cup.
I really don't think it's a good idea to graffiti/vandalise and make it obvious that it was dones in the name of communism. Communists in general already have a bad enough reputation. It'll just make it alot harder to convince people to come over to the left if they think we're all just a bunch of delinquents.

Trash stuff for sure, just without advertising the cause.

[rioters bloc]

i wrote an article on culture jamming for my uni magazine, im quite proud of it :) i might put it up as it goes a little more indepth than my first post here. but the edited version is at uni so ull have to wait

if u can ;)

[bcbm]

Originally posted by rioters [email protected] 6 2006, 08:00 AM
i wrote an article on culture jamming for my uni magazine, im quite proud of it :) i might put it up as it goes a little more indepth than my first post here. but the edited version is at uni so ull have to wait

if u can ;)
It'll be rough, but I think we'll pull through. :P

[James]

Naomi Klein
"No Logo" - Chapter 12.

[Tormented by Treachery]

http://images.indymedia.org/imc/ontario/jam004.jpg

[Seong]

Originally posted by rioters [email protected] 7 2006, 01:00 AM
but the edited version is at uni so ull have to wait

if u can ;)
What if I can't!?
I dont' think I can.
I'm literally busting :P

[commiecrusader]

That is well good TbT. I assume you didn't do it. If you did thought, props to you, that is really clever. And so true. Girls should have curves.

[rioters bloc]

Originally posted by Tormented by [email protected] 7 2006, 08:30 AM
http://images.indymedia.org/imc/ontario/jam004.jpg
eurgh, cut to fit? to fit what exactly? a pole?

[Seong]

I would make a complaint about the offensive portrayal of women in mainstream advertising, but then it's not as if she actually has breasts. Just a very nice pair of nipples. That's what you have to do to fit in their clothes - stop having breasts.

I wonder what their range of men's clothes demand you lose! :o

[OkaCrisis]

http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-03-16/news_feature.php

If anyone is interested, this recent article describes the situation regarding a certain Starbucks that's been geeting a lot of heat lately!

Unfortunately, I've had nothing to do with it, but I'm glad to see that others have been picking up the slack :P

[BillHicks]

The culture cannot be jammed. You can create UnPop Art (http://www.unpopart.org), but beyond an artistic endeavour, nothing can come of it becuase of a successful assault on the senses. In short, images don't stay alive long enough to be jammed anymore. As much as I hate what they've become, think U2's "Even Better Than the Real Thing" lyrics and video.

[Faceless]

Um, even though I dabble in it myself, don't fool yourself that you are changing the world in any big way.

Your time is better spent discussing and organising meetings. Quite simply people don't look at graffiti, vandalised billboards etc and think, "damn, I've been wrong about it all my life". At best you might inspire someone of already similar ideas to "culture jam" and occasionally people might find it witty; that's all.

Do it for your own gratification, but it isn't a communist tactic.