The Art of Protest: Culture Jamming




For this weeks task we were asked to produce some examples of culture jamming, looking at our chosen SDGs. One of the key SDGs our group is looking to focus on is goal number 3, 'Good-health and well-being'. I want my main focus for this project to be about protesting against the global mental health stigma. This relates to the understanding of mental health as merely an extension of our physical health, something to be ashamed and suppressed. The absence of mental health on the list poses a huge problem. Its absence only adds to its stigma, as an extension of our 'good' physical health. Therefore, the broad nature of goal 3 risks oppressing the action towards universal notions of health. For this task I've found culture jamming an appropriate way to begin to think about how this stigma can be challenged and combatted.

Typically, according to Mark Dery, culture jamming, a form of artistic protest, targets the 'status-quo' as a form of anti-capitalist politics. Dery express a collective anxiety towards our ever-developing mass media culture. For him, culture jamming disrupts 'technoculture', creating art that actively intrudes messages produced by media conglomerates, advertisements, newscasts and billboards. Put simply, the culture jammer looks to disrupt the culture of mass manipulation intended, seeking to divert the consumers attention elsewhere, to a wider, more significant issue or message. 

I started this task by looking at the slogans of three huge brands: Nike, McDonalds and Coca-Cola. Culture jamming is all about changing the narrative, and this is exactly what I want to do to the global mental health stigma. As you can see I've changed the brands classic slogans into ironic statements representing my feelings towards our mental health crisis. I changed Nike's 'Just Do It' to 'Just Talk About It', McDonald's 'i'm lovin' it' to 'i'm not always lovin' it' and Coca-Cola's 'open happiness' I added 'Wish it was that easy' below. Using super recognisable brands is perfect for this task because the message is so clearly depicted through the changes to the household slogans. I think culture jamming is a great way of capturing the attention of the world through infiltrating our consciousness, disrupting the narratives we are so used to unconsciously consuming everyday. 

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