Tonight, Kathe Kollwitz of the Guerrilla Girls joined the variable_d salon to discuss activism in a digital age. Formed in 1985, the artists assumed the names of dead women artists and wore gorilla masks in public, concealing their identities and focusing on the issues rather than their tastes adn personalities. Between 1985 and today, over 100 women, working collectively and anonymously, have produced posters, billboards, public actions, books and other projects bring gender issues to the forefront of public debate and discussion.
Our variable_d discussion centered around questions of anonymity, data, inequity, and strategy. How the group arrived at decisions, consensus, and maintained confidentiality were all subjects for lively debate. Ms. Kollwitz noted that at times, one will simply not know if something is an effective approach until she tries it. All the planning in the world can enter into a campaign, but it is always a little bit surprising what connects with people, and what does not. She suggests, “Try it!”
The DIALOGUES are student-conducted interviews and conversations with leading artists, scientists, and scholars of our time with the support of the Digital Humanities initiative. The conversations are digitally mediated via SKYPE software and held in the context of the weekly digital salon at Tiltfactor.