09/08/2012

Art, Complexity and Global Politics, Or, the Red Hot Chili Peppers Supporting Russian Riot Girls (Jailed Russian Punk Band)

File:Pussy Riot by Igor Mukhin.jpg

Recently, I posted on art, complexity and global politics, via my review of the work of artist/architect Saraceno and philosopher/sociologist of science, Latour. CLICK HERE FOR MY POST

As a followup, below is an example of my point about the powerful link between art, culture, politics, and cyberinfrastructure via Castell's network society.

In quick summary, on March 3, 2012 Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samoutsevitch, three alleged members of Pussy Riot, were arrested by Russian authorities and accused of hooliganism for performing a punk song in a key Russian Cathedral.  Their video of the event went viral, causing a global network chain reaction.

For more, CLICK THIS LINK

In response, people and groups from around the world, such as 121 members of the German Parliament--the Bundestag (see their comments here)--and artists (particularly musicians), began speaking out.  For example, organizations, such as Amnesty International--read their views here--agree with the German Parliament, seeing the arrests as examples of decreasing tolerance in Russia for artistic expression, particularly when it flies in the face of political and cultural convention, and are putting pressure on Russian authorities to treat these women appropriately and provide them their legal rights.

My favorite response is by the Red Hot Chili Peppers--one of my all-time favorite bands, who sing a lot about artistic and cultural freedom (for example, Shallow be thy game--CLICK THIS LINK AND BLAST THE SONG)--wore shirts of the band and wrote letters while performing in Russia recently.  In turn, this network society response has put pressure on the Russian government.

Here is a British broadcast on YouTube about the event, including a response by Vladimir Putin.




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