|
Portrait of a sculptor |
|
- 13,000,000 human lives |
|
A happening highlighting the absurdity of the global im balance and the double standard of mo rality in the western world. It was carried out during the UN’s social summit in Copen hagen, 1995. 750 figures of children (a total of 15 tons) were fettered to benches, lamp posts etc. all over the City. The figures were made of cloth and stuffed with gravel. Their size was like 3-9 year old children. They sym bolized the 35,000 who die every day, because of hunger and lack of medicine, pri marily in the poorest countries. In addition 13,000,000 certificates, one for each child doomed to die in 1995, were distributed. 60 differ ent certi fi cates were printed, each in 200,000 copies. 60 dif ferent drawings of black children were scanned onto copies of real bank notes. A text in Danish and English tells about the inequality in the world and explains that the paper is a part of a comprehensive happening. About 100 volunteers took part in the happening. Documentation: Various professional video pro grams (Danish TV), photos and a leaflet. |
|
Activists Denounce the World’s Leaders |
|
A follow-up Social Summit was held in Geneva June 2000. At the same time Danish activists carried out a follow-up of The Silent Death. On Place des Nations by-passers were met with a macabre view of ‘children’s bodies’, a bonfire of ‘bank notes’ and young people sleeping on the ground. The aim of the manifestation was to pillory the vanity and hypocrisy of the solemn speeches by the world’s leaders. Do the politicians discussing inside the UN building accomplish more than the activists sleeping on the ground? - that was the crucial question raised by the activists. The harsh criticism proved to be true. The delegates did not even agree on a follow-up summit. Is the Silent Death to be continued? |