Actions!
by Simon Leung
The Kitchen, NYC
2013
center: Beth Whitney
l-r: Yvonne Rainer, Beth Whitney (wearing a rat mask at the Frieze Art Fair protest), Benjamin Young
l-r: Chris Kasper, Pat Catterson, Benj Gerdes, Beth Whitney, Arlen Austin
l-r: Marcus Civin, Benj Gerdes
Performer (Opening speech, movement, additional characters including self)
Props design and fabrication
From the Kitchen’s Events Description:
“In our age of precarious work, what is the role of the “art worker?” What constitutes an “art action?” Using conventions of workers’ theater, academic conference, vaudeville, and postmodern dance, ACTIONS! gives thought to these questions by looking again at moments when “actions” were directed at the Museum of Modern Art: in 1960/70s by groups such as the Art Workers’ Coalition and Guerilla Art Action Group, when art activism was tied to civil rights and anti-war movements; and then in the year 2000, when members of the Professional and Administrative Staff Association (PASTA) at MoMA, which included curators, librarians, sales staff, editors and others, staged a four month-long labor strike. Originally inspired by the 2000 strike, ACTIONS! also returns to the recent past of the last two years, when protests in the art world by activist groups such as Occupy Museums and Occupy Wall Street Arts & Labor bring to bear the conditions of working in the art world today.
Among collaborators reconsidering the intersection of art, labor, community, and politics today are union members, museum workers, activists, and artists, including:
Yvonne Rainer, Arlen Austin, Kabir Carter, Benj Gerdes, Sasha Sumner, Pat Catterson, Marina Urbach, Valerie Tevere & Angel Nevarez, Beth Whitney, Chris Kasper, Julian Tysh, Carina Evangelista, David Kelley, Filip Noterdaeme, Lumi Tan, Marcus Civin, Burns Magruder, Benjamin Young, W.A.G.E., and Andrea Fraser.
Saturday’s performance concludes with a live discussion among participants including Leung and Julia Bryan-Wilson, moderated by Tim Griffin.”
Paper mâché rats
Aprox. 36″ x 36″ x 36″
Translucent building detail
Cardboard, paint, acrylic sheets
Aprox. 48″ x 24″ x 30″
The Devils
Directed by Vera Beren
Collapsable Hole, NYC
2018
Performer: Sisters Louise and Gabrielle
Props and costumes
Yes Men Hijinks
Run for Your Life Public Intervention
In a massive green-washing campaign, Dow Chemical Corporation (notorious for their toxic environmental record and associated human rights abuses in Bhopal, Vietnam, and Midland Michigan) sponsored a series of “Live Earth Run for Water” road races. The Yes Men‘s fake spokespeople infiltrated the race, ham-fistedly defending Dow’s right to do as it pleases. As a former nationally ranked marathoner, It was my pleasure to help thwart Dow’s attempt to exploit the running community.
Whole Foods Survivaball Takeover
After a 2009 screening of The Yes Men Fix The World, a motivated audience left the theater and marched down to a New York City Whole Foods where a few Survivaballs-in-waiting were already planted throughout the aisles, our deflated Survivaball suits nestled in shopping bags. “There has been a spill in the Public Health Care aisle” boomed over the intercom as we rushed to inflate, reaching maximum density in record time. As the audience sang a tune about lack of health coverage (entitled “Hey Mackey”) we bounced merrily along, keeping time with the beat until the security guards were finally able to corral the unwieldy mass and usher us out.
photo by Jennifer MacFarlane
Survivaball Outings
photo by Yes Man Rocco Ferrar
Survivaballs were originally pitched to CEOs of large companies for personal use in the event of catastrophic conditions. As more prototypes went into production, the Yes Men felt it would be good to shop these around to the general public. These are documentation photos I took of Yes Man Rocco Ferrer showing Survivaballs and letting the public see just how practical, and yes, stylish, these suits can be.
Documentation Photos
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Photo by Beth Whitney
Fake New York Post Distribution
On October 9, 2009 volunteers showed up at an undisclosed location in Manhattan to assist with targeted distribution of The Yes Men’s Fake New York Post. As opposed to their earlier Fake New York Times newspaper, which was filled only with good (and unfortunately false) news, their version of the Post, with the headline “We’re Screwed” was filled with primarily bad (and unfortunately true) climate change related news. The highlight of my day was the surreal experience of being cornered for an interview outside of Madison Square Garden by a real New York Post reporter.
