Found this article today on one of my favorite celebrity gossip websites and it immediately caught my eye.

Taken from: (Not my own words)
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/56331728.html#cutid1

Banksy vs. The Academy


Why Won't Oscars Let Banksy be Banksy??

Corporations like to control things (it’s in their nature), and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a way of thinking, and acting, just like a corporation: as the once-a-year organizing police force of Hollywood pageantry and taste. Nevertheless, it still came as a bit of a shock when the Academy laid down the law to Banksy. He’s the super-secretive and mysterious outlaw wizard of street art, the infamous British graffiti prankster — and now filmmaker — who sets off pop images as if they were cartoon bombs. A big part of Banksy’s allure is that no one knows who he is. A guerrilla practical joker, he’s an underground superstar who lives and works in the shadows. When he finally shows up in Exit Through the Gift Shop, the great, exhilarating jape of a documentary that he directed last year, he’s seen in silhouette, like some hooded killer on America’s Most Wanted. At the very least, he may be the most wanted man in show business.

But the Academy doesn’t want him. Not really. Exit Through the Gift Shop is one of the five pictures nominated for an Oscar this year in the Best Documentary category, and a couple of weeks ago, Banksy’s representatives put out a simple request to the Academy. They said that if Exit Through the Gift Shop won, Banksy would like to accept the award without having to reveal his identity. That might mean that he would wear a disguise — like, say, the monkey mask that he has sometimes been rumored to wear in public (it’s sitting to his right in that shot above). Or, of course, he might do something a lot weirder.





The Oscars turned him down flat. Said the Academy’s executive director, Bruce Davis: “The fun but disquieting scenario is that if the film wins and five guys in monkey masks come to the stage all saying, ‘I’m Banksy,’ who the hell do we give it to?”

Who the hell indeed? What would the gods of the gold statuette do? How could the evening possibly go on?!! The giveaway word in Bruce Davis’s rationalizing sentence is disquieting. Yes, it’s true that if Banksy wins for Exit Through the Gift Shop and five guys in monkey masks come up on stage to accept the award, it will be an odd, and slightly confused, and probably delightful next-day water cooler moment. But disquieting? I suspect that what’s really disquieting the Academy is the fear that if Banksy wins an Oscar and suddenly has the entire global television stage as his electronic performance-art canvas, he might do something a lot more provocative and adventurous than show up on stage in a monkey mask. In one of the more subversively funny moments of Exit Through the Gift Shop, he visits Disneyland and climbs over fences to deposit orange-jumpsuited Guantanamo Bay prisoner mannequins in several strategic locations. The look on the faces of the spectators as they stare at those abused-detainee bodies from the fantasy-kingdom choo-choo train is priceless. It’s vintage Banksy: an outrage with a message, one that you almost can’t help but chuckle at. (He treats his didacticism like a toy.)

Yet that’s just the sort of thing that turns zillion-dollar TV sponsors to jelly. The producers of the Academy Awards telecast probably think that when a potential Oscar winner is, by nature, so freewheeling and unpredictable that no one even has any idea who he is, that means one and only one thing: He’s uncontrollable. And a lack of control means…what? Maybe another Janet Jackson-at-the-Super-Bowl moment. (Are they scared that Banksy will show his nipple?) They’re not going to take that chance, and so Banksy, even if he wins, will not be accepting his Academy Award. The current arrangement is for Jamie D’Cruz, the producer of Exit Through the Gift Shop, to accept it for him.

You might say, and I would, that the Academy is being churlish and not very sportsmanlike to Banksy. After all, on the off-chance that Exit Through the Gift Shop actually wins (I predict that the award will go to the less deserving, but politically righteous, Inside Job), he simply wants to preserve the anonymity that’s central to his mystique as an artist — or, to put it in Hollywood-friendly terms, to his brand. Yet what strikes me most about this decision is how shortsighted and unfair the Academy is being…to itself. The organization’s executives think that they’re doing preemptive damage control, but what they’re really doing is blowing a rare opportunity. Because a little dose of Banksy is exactly what Hollywood, and the Academy Awards, need. It’s just what the doctor ordered to wake up a notoriously too-staid ceremony.

Banksy, in fact, has already been warming up for Oscar night. It’s rumored that he is presently in Los Angeles, and that he has left his mark on several outdoor settings, including this Charlie Brown-meets-a-cigarette-and-gas-canister cartoon that’s painted onto an abandoned, fire-damaged building on Sunset Boulevard. I’m not sure if this qualifies as a “disquieting” image, but I would certainly call it inspired showbiz. And that’s the thing about Banksy. He may be a naughty boy, but come on! — he’s all play, all winking mischief and nose-thumbing glee. Those Academy Awards promos that feature the evening’s two hosts, James Franco and Anne Hathaway, clowning around in a semi-improvised, post-articulate-generation, ya want a respectable evening? fuhggedaboudit! way, promise an Oscar telecast that is looser, more spontaneous and fun, than the ones we’re used to. But if the show’s producers, and the Academy, were truly committed to that spirit of spontaneity, they would take a chance on letting Banksy be Banksy. Who knows, he might just set the night on fire.

Taken from: http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/56331728.html#cutid1

Barbie and Culture Jamming?

In 1993, the Barbie Liberation Organization went against Mattel's normal image of Barbie to create Barbie's that do not image what Barbie normally represents. A group of 300 activists or more in the organization bought Barbie Dolls and performed "surgery" on them, recreating their image into what the mainstream would call the unthinkable. During the "surgery" activists switched the voice chips in a stereotypical Barbie with a GI-Joe Doll. Once the surgery was over the members of the movement would go back to the stores and put the Barbies's and the GI-Joe's back on the shelves (reverse-shoplifting). On the Barbie Liberation Organization website (RTMarkB.L.O.) they encouraged others to join this movement by performing the switcharoo on their own. This movement altered stereotypical gender roles that Mattel (Barbies creator) represents.

I think this movement is extremely powerful (kind of illegal), but extremely powerful. I think people have gender stereotypes instilled in their heads because of the mainstream media's conformist views. I think it is amazing when a group of people fight for what they believe in. Especially, if it means going against the norm to express how you feel. This movement is inspirational. The Barbie Liberation Organization is a divergent voice because activist were able to revolt against consumerism, stereotypes, and the mainstream through a unique approach.

You can learn more about the Barbie Liberation Organization here: RTMark: B.L.O.

More Culture Jamming iImages

As most know, culture jamming is a revolt against the mainstream view. Culture jammers say what people are afraid to throughout images, artwork, music, films, writing, blogs...etc. Throughout this blog I have discovered many images that culture jam against the mainstream. A culture jamming photo that I can appreciate that I came across deals with the revolt of brands represented in the mainstream. The first photo is a perfect representation of society we work, we buy, we consumer, we die. I can totally relate to that because I am guilty of that. I think most people can say the same. In this image, popular brands we see everyday in the media are used to convey this message. I think that is really brilliant of the jammer. Especially since this is a concept we use everyday in our lives. I like how someone makes fun of that. This is a fight against corporations and mainstream brands.

The second image is pretty self-explanatory. Pepsi is full of sugar, and as we all know the more sugar you have the more weight your going to gain. America is a country that is obese, this image is also a mockery of America. I know a lot of people who have eliminated soda from their diets and lost a lot of weight in a fast amount of time. Therefore, this new image of pepsi advertisements is taken to the next level and to prove that we as consumers are made fun of for the way we consume. We are a country of over consumption. I feel this recreation of the pepsi advertisement is well done and it proves a strong point. I think it is humorous and I have no problem making fun of our culture and society like the culture jammer here does.

There are many ways to portray revolts against corporate brands and I think the ones shown in this blog are a great representation of culture jamming of brands. What do you think? What are some you feel relay a strong subverting message?

Moving Images

Throughout my research I discovered an independent film community called moving images. Moving images seems to have a bottom up run community. "Moving Images Distribution's mandate is to actively promote Canadian culture and the recognition of film as an art form through the distribution of film and video created by its membership of Canadian independent producers. A not-for-profit organization registered in British Columbia, Canada, our activities are supported primarily by the earned income from the distribution of our members' work, with supplementary funding from The Canada Council's Media Arts Section and BC's Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture." - Moving Images The reason I mention this film distribution community is because in 2001 they released a culture jamming film. It is about a revolt against commercial culture which what this whole blog stands for. The film brings up issues of the mainstream, and the individual to prove that our minds are polluted by commercialized culture.

"Ultimately, theirs is a war of meaning that uses the tools of the media to rewire the message. Will Disney's Mickey Mouse represent a "world of laughter" or will he become the anti-Christ symbolizing "sweatshop labour practices." The verdict of public perception lies in the battle between their guerilla tactics and the billion-dollar PR campaigns they combat.

Hard hitting, controversial, wacky and engaging, this film captures the drama of jammers in action and asks some vital questions: Is Culture Jamming civil disobedience? Senseless vandalism? Or the only form of self-defense left?" - Moving Images

This here proves that culture jamming can be used in films (mainly documentaries) but it is still another form of media that takes on the important movement.

CultureJam.com

As you can see my blog focuses majority on culture jamming websites or movements I find on the internet. The internet is a great space for culture jammers to express themselves because there are less gatekeepers which means there is an easy way of getting your messages out. I personally feel the internet is the best media tool a culture jammer can use to express themselves and get their messages out there. It is a great place for up and coming culture jammers. During my research I came across culturejam.com Culturejam.com is a new website that is launching this year. Their goal is to make a difference. The site states "Culture Jam is a collection of groundbreaking concepts centered around creating a new value proposition for digital content creators and their fans. If you create culture for your fans, or if you are a fan of culture, Culture Jam will soon be your online destination of choice. Launching in 2010, Culture Jam will change the way content is distributed and consumed online. Stay tuned…the paradigm will shift." I think that message that the "paradigm will shift" gives hope to all culture jammers or people who do not agree with the mainstream. If gives people the opportunity to have a different channel of getting your voice out. They will express someone culture in a divergent way. Culturejam.com seems like they are a promotion company that is not for promoting through mainstream media sources which is really admirable. They do seem to have some kind of affiliation with twitter though (which obviously is a mainstream site). They have a blog in which people send in different mediums in which culture jamming is represented. I think they are hoping that others will join the non-mainstream movement. Do you think they are divergent or even culture jammers? Since they are still new and it is hard to decifer...What do you think their goal is? If you would like to check the website out go here To check out the blog go here

The Fall Of Autumn

I disovered Fall Of Autumn on a blog created for my class I mentioned earlier: Convergent Media Divergent Voices. As you may realize, I have very interested in culture jamming as a divergent voice. Therefore, when I saw the link to this website I had to visit it. Fall Of Autumn is an online zine. They seem to target all forms of culture jamming (politics, pop-culture, humor). The site seems like they are not afraid to go outside the boundaries. Something hilarious that I saw posted on there is a video mocking the Now That's What I Call Music cds (being that there is literally 5million of them). I do not know how they manage to keep producing these cds, but anyways, there is a mock commercial called Now That's What I Call EMO. You can check it out here. I think it is awesome that this zine explores different types of culture jamming that I have not really seen. The site has videos, podcasts, writings, their zine, forum ( a great place for a people to come together and express themselves or discuss the jamming they have seen), blogs, and they even have hangman. This is a very unique jamming approach. I believe this is a culture jamming site because it does not express a mainstream message, it is a combination of anti-mainstream activist methods.

Sniggle.net

If you are at all interested in learning culture jamming like I am, you should check out sniggle.net also known as the "culture jammers encyclopedia." This website has a lot of culture jamming history that is very interesting. The website is run by donations which I feel is great. This website mentions many of the culture jamming movements I have discussed in this blog. It is a very reliable source. Every day it has a new culture jamming movement that occured in history on that specific day in the past. If you are interested in a briefing of the history of culture jamming, please visit: Sniggle.net I would like to know what your views are regarding the "culture jammers encyclopedia."