Week 5 - “The Media is the Message”: Countercultural Political Protest

I'd like to talk about Abbie Hoffman and the Chicago Eight (which became the Chicago Seven later), as I wrote an essay in high school on this topic for American History (forgive me if I forget a few things, it has been a while since grade 11, haha).

From what I remember, yippies Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale were arrested at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL for having "crossed state lines to incite a riot" and of "conspiracy". Their demonstration was against Lyndon Johnson's policies for the Vietnam War.

The trial was seen as a joke to the accused, with the eighth member of the accused, Bobby Seale, insulting the judge, calling him a "fascist dog", a "honkey", a "pig" and a "racist". These insults led to Seale being charged with contempt and being tried separately from the other seven. The other defendants also wanted to show how ridiculous the trial, which Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin showing up in judicial robes, mocking the judicial system. Hoffman also blew kisses to the jury and remarked to the judge that "you are a 'shande fur de Goyim' (disgrace in front of the gentiles). You would have served Hitler better." From these antics alone, you can judge for yourself what this trial was like.

Eventually, all seven defendants were found not guilty of conspiracy. Froines and Weiner were acquitted completely, while the other five were convicted of crossing state lines to incite a riot, which gave them each 5 years in prison. At the sentencing, Abbie Hoffman told the judge to try LSD, offering to set him up with a deal he knew.

It's a pretty ridiculous part of American history, especially the mockery of the American justice system.

Week 4 - Intermedia, Performance, & Sound Art

This whole week's topics have closely related to one of my other classes, IASC 2P10, in which the main project is to create an interactive art installation. Many of the people talked about in class has been referenced in 2P10, including John Cage, Marcel Duchamp, Fluxus, Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono and others. Definitely having discussed these people in class has helped me out greatly in understanding these topics and people, as well as opened my mind to things that I never knew even existed. I would just like to thank you for this small little portion of the course.

Week 3 - Cinematic Reconfigurations of Space and Place

Having taken a film course here at Brock, I recognize many of the films referenced in this week's lecture. The Lumiere Brothers' "Arrival of a Train Entering The Station" as well as "Workers Leaving the Factory" in 1895 were some of the first modern films, just consisting of short clips in which the camera was stationary and everyone and everything moved around the camera. Georges Melies' "A Trip to the Moon" from 1902 really expanded on the Lumiere Brothers techniques, using what can be deemed "special effects" for the time with the man in the moon. I just love that one image of the moon:

Classic. haha

Week 2 - Media Transformations and/in the Avant-garde

Having discussed Marcel Duchamp last semester in IASC 1Q98, and now again in this course, I have a greater understanding of his work. I had seen his work before and always knew him as 'the guy who put the urinal upside down', but now, I can actually understand some of the meaning he put into his work. His push to change the figurative definition of art and for others to look at objects differently was revolutionary and a big influence on many avant-garde artists, like Fluxus and other artists like Jeffrey Shaw.