The art of social change

It is the morning of the 14th of July 1789, A thousand civilians stand before the imposing cold stone walls of a medieval fortress known as the 'Bastille'. It is not just stone and mortar the people see though, it is the crushing weight of their monarchy, the abuse of authority, and the suffering of the individual, typified by those walls, the prisoners held within, and the cannon atop them. A delegate of the people enter, they demand the removal of these cannons and disarmam

It is the Autumn of 1830, acclaimed French painter Eugène Delacroix writes to his brother; "My bad mood is vanishing thanks to hard work. I've embarked on a modern subject—a barricade. And if I haven't fought for my country at least I'll paint for her" That painting would become 'Liberty leading the people' perhaps one of the most influential works of revolutionary art and iconography ever created. Its imagery and influence so powerful that it is said to have inspired everyth

It is the start of the 19th century, throughout Spain (and the rest of Europe) the reigning Spanish Sovereign, Charles IV, is regarded as an ineffectual cuck in all aspects of his life. Famine ravages his land year on year, wheat prices rice over 60% in areas resulting in a mortality crisis that would see population decline as a high as 15%. Meanwhile the prime minister of Spain is a sycophant, ineffectual and self serving, he obtained his position the way yes men and boot li

We are desperately clawing at today, trying to tear its face off, just to get a look at yesterdays smile. Manufactured consent, The Matrix, Hauntology, 'Member berries, cultural feedback loops, your current obsession with a 90s trading card game. Different explorations and statements on interlinking ideas, when taken as one they describe a landscape of cultural cannibalism. And what happens when our species engages in wanton cannibalism? It cultivates prion diseases that dest

Wouldnt that be lovely, if there was space to let others dance, to let people sit in the park and draw, paint or sing, not just in public but in peoples minds. Is it social medias fault? has it killed authentic altruistic self expression? Yeah we've heard it all before, kids don't play outside anymore, no one does anything but sit on their phones, community's gone, and everyone locks their front doors. But have people abandoned community, or has it been taken form them? Do we

In the last part of this writing we focused on how and why the collective known as “Guerrilla girls” formed, and the importance of not...

I saw a mural being painted on one of my feeds today. It was by no means bad, and i do not write this to disparage the artist, but it...

We've all done it; just a quick scroll, just 5 more minutes, one more image, post, video... and hours pass in that swipe, that tap, that...

One of the great pains many of us experience is that of internal conflict bought about by societal pressure and expectations ingrained in...

To paraphrase Predator “If it moves we can buy it” This in essence is an idea I’ve seen other artists & collectors comment on, that the...

Their is an interesting dichotomy between the acceptance many have for the impact and proliferation of modern internet memes, and a...

Lately much has been made by the British press about the musicians Kneecap and Bob Vylan. Both bands willingness to use their art and the...

"We used to build cathedrals" I hate that phrase. Often espoused in art reaction videos or threads by people who think art began and...

Depending on your definition we'll be rather fast and loose with the term "Art" in this piece. At times it may be more accurate to say...

No one can truly know how that nebulous group we call “the audience” will respond to an artwork. And many would say that you shouldn’t...

A ‘Heliostat’ array is an array of mirrors that, whilst rotating to track the sun, all focus their reflections on to a shared single...

Art will forever be tied to social challenge and change. It simultaneously captures the current collective mind of a society, and works...

Never underestimate the amount of resources those clinging to profit and power will direct in to the manipulation of a message. Afterall...

From star wars to star trek, politics and social issues have permeated sci-fi since its inception. It has not only inspired us to think...

Across my 7 years of working in schools as a specialised teaching assistant I saw one type of lesson drive more engagement than any...