weapon on display in galway

Monday March 29, 2004 18:10

by bill posters - The Blind Authority Manipulation Corporation

weapons for the opperessed

the hand pistol made out of hand-made paper will be on display in the window of no.6 upper abbeygate st., Galway. Sent to Galway from australia by bill posters, the weapon will be on display for a limited time. weapons were sent to various destinations around the world.

the weapon

Weapons for the oppressed

Six machine guns and six hand guns cast in handmade paper will be sent around the world to countries including Chile, Ireland, Argentina, Italy, Indonesia, USA, Brazil, Norway, Re’union Island, Germany, England and Holland. Each package will contain a with compliments slip with the quote ‘a facsimile weapon without a firing-pin’ referring to a statement by Debord which refers to the appearance of radical thought which perhaps inadvertently only supports the dominant organisation of power.

We live in a world deeply divided by a minority whose lives are drowning in a monsoon of material goods, living off the backs of the majority whose lives are impoverished by a total lack of basic everyday needs such as nutritious food and clean water. The dream world of the land of excess is populated by people who remain blissfully oblivious to the true state of world affairs. Terrorism is now the dominant chatter of corporate media who maintain a blanket of silence over the bigger terrorism stories where peoples lives are being fucked over on a daily basis, just so that the global minority can keep chasing the disillusionment from the last item of mass consumption. The corporate definition of terror is necessarily racist as the lives of non-anglo saxon descent are played down, Indonesian lives are worth less than Australians in the Bali bombing and refugees drowning on sabotaged boats are worth next to nothing. Civilians burnt in the twin towers are considered supreme compared to the generations of civilians in Iraq poisoned by ‘depleted’ uranium or those shattered by the exploding shrapnel of a cluster bomb. According to corporate media, terrorism around the world in countries like Nigeria, Sarawak, West Paupa, Aceh, Burma, etc, does not exist. Citizens must be fearful of terrorism without ever being told what it is.

Corporate media is also racist when it comes to reporting dissent against the global institutions of power. It reports the first big protest against ‘globalisation’ as being in Seattle and neglects to mention the reality of this movement beginning in Mexico and India. Still it fails to report such events as 20,000 Zapatistas descending on the city of San Christobel on new years eve of 2003 or the recent organisation of the people of Argentina, free of
Government.

This project was done as an attempt to wake its inventor out of a bad dream. It was produced with the full knowledge that it’s existence is unlikely to effect any change in the existing order of power. Simultaneously it was not instigated to help build the career of the perpetrator. ‘Weapons for the oppressed’ should not be considered a serious piece of ‘art’ as it is a practical joke, merely a piece of Tom Foolery. Bill Posters does not want to associate with what calls itself ‘art’ and all that it entails in the dominating cultural system of power relations. He is just checking and testing certain ideas and letting his sloppy thoughts escape into the public arena. It should also be noted that nothing that has been spoken of within is new. It has all been said before.

‘Art’ in the contemporary world is only concerned with the exterior level of life, with aesthetics. Ultimately it is only a surface for an individual to build a superficial identity on in contrast to the identities of others. To create social distinctions according to systems of taste. This should not be surprising as in our time all professions are subject to rigid censorship and the economic rule of the imperative of the dollar.

In the world of the symbolic almost everything can be permissible as long as it does not effectively change anything and does not represent the true state of world affairs. Everyday our headspaces are increasingly bombarded with a stream of fallacies. It is increasingly harder to maintain a critical consciousness and concept of what is ‘real’. Corporate media is dense with blatant lies and an absence of history. As with every other profession it’s name is the same but it’s practice has completely changed. In today’s order it is possible to execute the most extraordinary conspiracies. The continuing lies of powerful institutions such as the world bank, the international monetary fund, the world trade organisation, food and agriculture organisation ensure the current world order is maintained.

What is of even more concern is the void of environmental issues reported. Everywhere the basis of our existence is being destroyed. Very few are aware of the extent of the destruction to maintain our materially excessive lifestyles. The economy is the enemy of our humanity.

By going through the postage system ‘Weapons for the oppressed’ attempts cross borders that most people cannot cross with ease if at all. It is an attempt to make a mockery of the dominant definition of ‘terrorism’.

The real question is what weapons are left for the oppressed against the all crushing power of the corporate economic systems. For me it seems important to attempt to test ideas and theories in practice no matter how obscure they may be. Ideas and theories not put into practice tend to be those used by people to build their careers and as such only act as defence systems for the maintenance of the dominant structures.

The box with gun is intended for exhibition once it has reached its postal destination. It does not matter where it is exhibited, but preferably at least in a semi-public space. This text should be displayed with the piece. Other than this it is up to the receiver how the piece is to be displayed. Once exhibited the box should be ceremonially burnt or posted on to another destination for further exhibition. Documentation of the exhibition and ceremonial burnings would be greatly appreciated by Bill Posters.
Please send to:

Bill Posters,

A yahoo group has also been set up where it is possible to discuss/debate this project at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BAMCorp/