PATRIOT ACTS
Implosion Yugoslavia was my first taste of it. A society imploding in itself. A place that had, just a few years ago hosted the Winter Olympics, turned into a frenzied space of tribalism, exploited by media, by leaders, by thugs, by mafioso types preying on a chance to consolidate. Not that I ever stepped a foot in Yugoslavia – that wouldn’t happen until after the war, when I was invited to speak at a conference in Croatia. No, it was enough from my post in Amsterdam, working at a cultural foundation with a mandate to foster ‘multilateralism’. I didn’t have to go to Yugoslavia -- I just had to listen. I always said that Rotterdam attracted the business guy types from ex Yugo. And Amsterdam attracted – well, Amsterdam, in its most self conscious arty progressiveness, attracted the artists types, musicians and writers. And those who were fleeing brought with them their stories. Of the media reports of the Serbs poisoning the water - or was it the Croats - or was that another war time myth? The heroics of the reporters at Sarajevo’s Oslobodjenje. The build up of arms in household cellars. The strained friendships and strange alliances. The premature recognition of Croatia by the European Parliament, when it was known that such recognition, with unresolved borders, would lead to the implosion. From those who could see, it was all very predictable. A perfect storm. Just needed someone to conduct it. And along came the players...or rather they were waiting in the wings. Everybody did their part. And within a year a country that was considered the most open and progressive of the Soviet Block became a disintegrated mess, reduced to ‘tribal’ violence according to international press. In this mess, I also saw the bold efforts of individuals and groups who worked on initiatives that fostered and strengthened civic processes. This could be in the form of supporting local press, a film festival, or establishing a summer school for displaced students at Charles University in Prague. These processes succeeded in strengthening the traces of normal life - of civil society. Seeing these efforts, I too caught the bug and set up events, with the blessing and financial backing of the foundation. My projects to reclaim normalcy included rock concerts, poetry readings, video reports, and lots and lots of public discussions.
Back in the United States The USA PATRIOT ACT was passed on October 17th, 2001. Not that I was aware of it at the time. Who was? Who of our Representatives actually read it? It was February 2002 that I first heard of it, thanks to Pacifica radio and an interview with Scott Bowman, Political Science Professor at Cal State Los Angeles. The gist of the interview was that this hardly known (at the time) ACT presented serious threats to our Constitutional democracy. And though I was in my own country, far from an Eastern European country disintegrating into madness, I felt the same impulse – a voice from the front, seeing what was going on and sharing the story. The post 9/11 lull was broken and something was wrong. Professor Bowman seemed reasonable, smart, concerned. I realized then, driving down the 405 Freeway that I didn’t know a thing about my constitution. The U.S Constitution. And from that I created a series of dialogical events called My Daily Constitution that’s been trudging along since 2002. I can’t take credit to the name - that goes to Ohio media activist Evan Davis. But My Daily Constitution with its play on words, does imply what the constitution is – the routines large and small that sustain us in our everyday lives, be it our walk, our drink, our Habeas Corpus. Since 2002 I’ve held the project in cities around the country, most recently Indianapolis (www.mydailyconstititon.org). It is from these experiences in public dialogue and community building that inspired me to create PATRIOT ACTS, to explore issues around the U.S. Constitution for the Future of Nations exhibition series.
The PATRIOT ACTS artist team includes: Irina Contreras, Christie Frields, Zeal Harris, Sara Hendren, Vincent Johnson, Hillary Mushkin, Meena Nanji + Tommy Gear, Adam Overton, Rebecca Ripple, Susan Silton, Pam Strugar and Shirley Tse Over the summer, PATRIOT ACTS artists met with legal experts to explore concepts of Habeas Corpus, the USA PATRIOT ACT, the California primaries, voting education and spaces of government processes. To date professor Gary Williams of Loyola Law School and Criminal Defense Lawyer Mia Yamamoto have been involved in this dialogue. Consulting organizations include the Los Angeles League of Women Voters, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the California Voter Foundation.
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