Protest

Verdedig jezelf! Disobedient Objects: How-To Guides Disobedient objects are often everyday items that have been turned to a new purpose. But social change is about making as much as breaking. Sometimes designing a new object creates a new way to disobey. Below are some downloadable PDF how-to guides for making your own version of some of the disobedient objects found in the exhibition. How to Guide – Makeshift Tear-Gas Mask Handmade gas masks were an essential response to police actions during the 2013 mass protests in Istanbul. These events saw the Turkish government release a record amount of tear gas to disperse demonstrators. Protesters devised a way to protect themselves with basic materials like plastic bottles, elastic, and strips of insulation foam. http://www.vam.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/242802/VA_DO_How-to_Bottle.pdf Since 2013, the idea spread and handmade gas masks have appeared on protestors as far away as Caracas, Venezuela. How to Guide – Book Bloc Shield The Book Bloc was first created by Italian students in 2010, protesting against cuts to education, but the idea spread quickly among student movements across Europe and the US. You can see a timeline of their spread and see videos of them in action here, and read a more detailed history written by one of the Italian collective who first produced them in the Disobedient Objects catalogue. You can also watch a video how-to guide to making book bloc shields below. How to Guide – Clandestine Syrian Stencil This stencil honors Ghaith Mattar, a non-violent Syrian activist who died under torture conducted by current president Bashar al-Assad’s regime. It is based on a design by Malu Halasa, Zaher Omereen [...]