SUBVERSIVE FAIR – Be Nice, Stay Subversive
Press Conference
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
In the spirit of these and other mottos exhorted as political statements and manifestos of different ways of life, 50 exhibitors will be presenting counter-cultural strategies, innovative resistance concepts and practical everyday inventions to implement revolutionary perspectives May 14-17, 2009 at the Subversive Fair.
This fair is bringing together a fascinating array of some of the world’s most creative subversive elements and offering everybody from beginners to advanced practitioners a low-pressure way to get connected with the scene and get up to speed on the latest developments in the resistance sector. Visitors will have the opportunity to acquire practical skills in workshops and get hands-on experience with a wide variety of technologies and subversive applications.
But this conclave isn’t just a matter of imparting useful know-how; attendees will be imbued with insights into leading-edge resistance concepts and current discourses. A substantively balanced blend of art, theory, politics and practice is meant to foster the development of relevant soft skills like critical-subversive reflective competence, to point out approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of societal anxiety, and to offer a pleasant ambience conducive to delivering cultural support to individuals who are threatened by—or already all-too-accustomed to—marginalization.
The event organizers selected this format intentionally modeled on a conventional trade show as a good way to also reach audiences that are inexperienced in matters of resistance and to offer them a low-threshold approach to the idea and practice of subversion—for instance, in areas like beauty & wellness, work & continuing professional education, law & order, hobby & leisure pursuits, and living & lifestyle. In addition to providing a programming schedule and a map to enable fair visitors to navigate among the booths, there will be guards posted about the grounds to provide on-the-spot info and aid. Visitors can book a guided tour either in advance or on site; the fee is €1.50/person.
The broad spectrum of offerings includes workshops (streetart for women and girls, do-it-yourself radio transmission jamming, make-up, coiffeur and stick-on beards with the Sissy Boyz, and much more), lectures (SUBversion book presentation, sabotage confessional, guerilla gardening, communications guerilla et al.), excursions (Me&Ikea, Bike Kitchen tallbikefest, Hearing Disruption city tour, et al.), product presentations (psychological prostheses, dumpster cooking, et al.) performances (AMS Active Unemployed Roadshow, Doctors Without Fear, border*fuck cabaret, Lunch over Rio Bravo et al.) and a symposium on the subject of “Normalcy in the Crisis” (in cooperation with the Festival of the Regions).
Resistance is doable—the pleasant path to revolution.
WHAT // Subversiv Fair
WHEN // 14 – 17 May 2009
WHERE // Hafenhalle09, Industriezeile 41A, 4020 Linz
www.subversivmesse.net
