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| TIRON Stefan |
URBAN INFILTRATION PROJECT 1 – the identity of the society: alternative_identities?
Aim
Urban infiltration projects use already existing visual information in the form of posters, flyers, small paper-pads or stickers.
This form of home-made, cheep advertising is used in Bucharest by different educational institutions – the so-called ‘Popular Universities or Popular Schools’ which offer a schedule of their activities to the interested individuals. These are the so-called alternative (private, state- or otherwise) schools offering workshops, teaching classes for the following: alternative medicine, ufology, storytellers talking about exotic voyages (in Asia , Africa or Oceania), alternative histories (Atlantis, the Mu continent, Piramidology), Buddhism, Popular Science, etc.
The Urban Infiltration project 1 aims to infiltrate their means of visual communication by the means of mimicry (a very effective infiltration tactic used both in human and natural environments). The project aim is to enhance the availability of so-called alternative interpretation and to show how these remain entrenched and fixed inside the boundaries of pseudo-scientific, para-normal research. The project will also chart the distribution of such alternative knowledge and hunt down the various preferential themes, subjects, meeting-places, and other specialized areas inhabited by these institutions. Eventually the project will use sociological conceptual tools (such as age groups, class and gender groups).
The working hypothesis is that alternative views/interpretations (whether scientific, artistic or religious) are available in Bucharest but they always seem to border on the paranormal and sensationalist dimension. Actually we are witnessing the rising support for these same views as presented by ‘scientific’ TV channels such as National Geographic, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. During the last years, we have witnessed how responsive these channels are to every whim of popular demand. ‘Controversial’ subjects seem to abound, together with crime-busting forensic specialists, unidentified species, monstrous architectures, lost civilizations, futuristic technology, nearly miraculous healing, exotic travelogues. All of these seem to cover the same areas of interest familiar to the Bucharest ‘alternative’ institutions. In spite of the rise of such trends, their history shows links to the Ceausescu era, when Yoga, Dacic astronomy, UFO sightings, paleoastronautical ‘science’, biological extremes developed as a kind of permitted ‘alternative’ to the hegemonic state power. Last but not least it aims to research into the origins and future development of all alternative identities.
Methods
Mimicry methods use the already-existing layout, graphic design, letter font of the original to infiltrate and further on to change the message while slightly or radically altering the content. At the first glance, the ‘copy’ will seem to be the same as the original; with the same ‘look’, the same texture, paper, etc. at a closer inspection it will reveal slight or major differences. These differences are ‘hidden’ away inside the similar graphic matrix but they bring on a change in signification and style of the message.
False, or seemingly-correct information will be transmitted using invented or very obscure domains of knowledge(Tarzanology for example) with the help of ‘hijacked’ terminology. In fact we will use the same tactics used by the ‘alternative’ institutions who actively ‘hijack’ scientific, philosophical, religious terminology in order to communicate. Even slight familiarity with terms belonging to these domains of knowledge should make the message more attractive and suitable.
Area
The Area is a geographical and architectonic zone inside the city of Bucharest. Bucharest is the main center of gravity during this investigation, so all of the ensuing research and infiltration will take place in Bucharest. More specifically infiltration will take both in the center area at the border; in the city downtown and the communist flat zones.
Taken their borderline situation alternative pedagogical institution are likely to be located inside old, partially abandoned buildings or ‘hijack‘ official institution where they ‘sleep’ for long periods of time. Some of them are supposedly mobile, often changing their location and address.
Infiltration tactics also involve ‘faking’ addresses, giving ‘false’, ‘wishful’ clues about their whereabouts.
Website mit mp3 Aufnahme aus der Reihe Homolka: http://www.monochrom.at/homolka-fragt/
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