"Slamdance Cosmopolis" by Matt Usinowicz and Matt Allison in support of Food Not Bombs Jacksonville
"Slamdance Cosmopolis" was a two person show with Matt Usinowicz and I at Florida Mining Gallery in Jacksonville, FL. The opening of was timed to coincide with the 2018 mid-term elections; and we invited the ACLU of North Florida to table at the event so they could get the word out about the initiatives that were on the ballot that year.
The centerpiece of the show was a collaborative 12 poster series, inspired by The Clash’s 1984 album Combat Rock.
Created over the course of several months, the posters began as small black and white drawings - 6 initiated by me (Side A); 6 initiated by Matt (Side B). After mailing our drawings to each other, we responded by building off what the other had already laid to paper. Each drawing was then printed on a large format photocopy machine, giving them a grainy, D.I.Y. punk look that was both relevant to our own aesthetic interests, as well as the original source material.
1. "Know Your Rights" 2."Car Jamming" 3. "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
The album had long held a special place in our friendship; naturally making its way on the turn table every time Matt, my wife Katie and I hung out in our living room drinking beers and talking shop. After several years we had so many conversations with it playing in the background that it became, in my mind, a sort of conduit for our best ideas. And holy shit, did we ever need them.
4. "Rock the Casbah" 5. "Red Angel Dragnet" 6. "Straight to Hell"
T***p had already been in POTUS for two years, and the world had been consistently getting a darker and darker place. Many of the lyrics on the album were eerily and depressingly relevant to his administration’s tactic of constantly dehumanizing others in pursuit of his political gain. Of course we had no idea how apocalyptically dark things would get once we entered the new decade; but at that moment it felt like the whole world was already on fire.
I can distinctly remember being filled with a newly formed high-voltage sense of urgency that would easily slip into paralyzing anxiety at a moments notice. I knew I needed to do something (anything); but had no idea where to even start... I had only recently redirected my art, writing, and curatorial practices to serve social and environmental justice groups, but the content of my work hadn't quite made the transition yet. There was a noticeable disconnect between the conceptual, slightly aloof work I was making, and the organizations I felt compelled to support.
7. "Overpowered by Funk" 8. "Atom Tan" 9. "Sean Flynn"
"Slamdance Cosmopolis" was an enormous turning point for me. As I collaborated on the drawings with Matt, I studied every sonic inch of that album. Critical thinking had never sounded cooler. It's adventurous, rebellious, sexy, angry, fun and weird all at the same time... And you can dance to as well.
To quote the ever quotable Henry Rollins:
This is not a time to be dismayed.
This is punk rock time. This is what Joe Strummer trained you for.
It is now time to go. You’re a good person. That means more now than ever.
Thanks Joe.
Thanks Matt.
You both changed my life for the better.
10. "Ghetto Defendant" 11. "Inoculated City" 12. "Death Is a Star"
Food Not Bombs is gaining momentum throughout the world. There are hundreds of autonomous chapters sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty. Food Not Bombs is not a charity. This energetic all volunteer grassroots movement is active throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. For over 30 years the movement has worked to end hunger and has supported actions to stop the globalization of the economy, restrictions to the movements of people, end exploitation and the destruction of the earth and its beings.
The first group was formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1980 by anti-nuclear activists. Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to nonviolent social change. Food Not Bombs has no formal leaders and strives to include everyone in its decision making process. Each group recovers food that would otherwise be thrown out and makes fresh hot vegan and vegetarian meals that are served in outside in public spaces to anyone without restriction. Many Food Not Bombs groups also share groceries and organize other efforts to support their communities. Each independent group also serves free meals at protests and other events.
“What of the neighbors and the prophets in bars?
What are they saying in the public bazaar?
We are tired of the tune
You must not relent…” - Inoculated City, The Clash
A call to action, commonly known by the initialism CTA, is a strategic marketing tool designed to spur an immediate response from an audience, guiding them toward a specific action.
NNH began with the (perhaps naive) hope that it could be of service to folks who needed it. I wasn't exactly sure who that meant- Was it the potential readership? The Mutual Aid groups that would be featured in each post? Or other creative types (equally fed up with the constant "me at the center" paradigm required by our Tech Overlords) looking for a place to get weird and do some good.
SO, if you're out there- whomever you may be- Let me know. Leave a comment. Click a link. Tell a friend. Pitch an idea. Do anything to feel less alone in the world.
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