Every so often, here in TheLab™, we get a press release that we throw in the trash, then we read it, take it out of the trash, then throw it back in again because, to be blunt, it’s a bit bloody stupid.
One such email arrived today highlighting the above pictured waifs and strays who gathered in Central London somewhere carping on about putting culture in a bank, or some such nonsense.
Amidst the carnage of this be-suited, grey haired insurrection a report was launched. Because, when in doubt, that’s what the arts does, releases a report that nobody reads.
Let’s face it people have lives to get on with, there are too many hazards in the world and death by bullet point is just a threat too far.
We feel sure the intentions of this mob are pure and honest and not at all about self preservation of their substantial ACE funding (ENB, Sadler’s Wells and Rambert were all represented)*
Here’s the rub. If you’re mounting a protest, advocating or otherwise speaking up on a particular subject can you try very hard not to look like a bunch of lost tourists holding up banners that a Channel 4 television producer got you to brandish as a joke? (they were actually designed [choke] by some well know artists!)
If you’re going to protest do it like the guy in the image below, put your back into it. If they had spray painted their (cough) slogan on the walls of the British Library then that at least would have been noteworthy.
You can read the report below, don’t say we didn’t warn you! Just one more thing, the word “dance”, isn’t mentioned once in the entire report.
[ Tiananmen Square image by Jeff Widener ]
*Before we get the hate mail, which we enjoy by the way, yes we do think they should all be subsidised.