The Ghana ThinkTank in Shenzen was Christopher Robbins, John Ewing, and Carmen Montoya. Video booth programming by Kevin Patton. www.szhkbiennale.org/2011

32 tires chained to an octagonal structure reminiscent of a pneumatic fender. In each tire sits a screen with closely cropped videos of Chinese citizens voicing their problems. On the tail end visitors can add their own problems to the mix through a video booth programmed by Kevin Patton. The pod is surrounded by satellites presenting every other city Ghana ThinkTank has worked in.

Ghana ThinkTank China Video Recording booth (programmed by Kevin Patton).

The pod in progress.

“Everyone is always busy, but contributes nothing.” One of the problems in the video screens in the tires.

Detail of neon work in the belly of the beast.

Translation: “I got old and so will you.” Funny, Dirty memories as told by the elderly, recorded on MP3 players and presented to young people. Action based on solution from the think tank in Iran.

LEGAL WAITING ZONE: Fake municipal sign hung in the OCT district of Shenzen, China. Translation: “You have the right to wait here, and in all public places, for your mom, your girlfriend, or simply because it is too hot in your apartment.”

Translation: “Please explain the difference between the cop’s world and the real world.” Action based on a Prison Think Tank solution.

Lovely failing vinyl type.

As part of IMMIGRANTS OCCUPY, Immigrant Movement International’s December 18 call for actions for International Migrant’s Day , Ghana ThinkTank posted Guerilla bus ads promoting the benefits Immigrants bring to our country.

This action came out of a summer collaboration with Immigrant Movement International/ Tania Bruguera that dealt with the divide between the old guard of Immigrants to Corona (mostly Italian) and more recent newcomers (mostly Latino).

In brief, we asked people who had issues with the latest wave of Immigration to Corona to help us craft a pro-Immigrant advertising campaign.

We started by pairing slogans created at an Immigrant Movement International workshop with images of early Italian Immigrants to the USA, and set up focus groups around these images and slogans.

We then presented the same slogans again, but paired with Latino imagery, and once again discussed the meaning of the slogans. The workshops allowed us to bridge the Immigration experience between the old guard and the newcomers, and resulted in pro-Immigrant ads crafted by those same people who had issues with the new waves of Immigration in their communities.

We then printed these ads to MTA Bus guidelines, and pasted them on several bus lines that connected the old and new waves of Immigrants in Corona.

On December 18, we re-staged the Advertisement Occupations in support of Immigrant Movement International’s International Migrant Day Actions.

More info here…

U.S. Department of State Launches smARTpower, Will Use Visual Arts to Engage Underserved Youth Overseas and Strengthen People-to-People Diplomacy

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 18, 2011
U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Bronx Museum of the Arts launched smARTpowerSM., a new initiative that sends 15 American artists and collaborative artist teams to 15 countries worldwide to engage in people-to-people diplomacy through the visual arts.

smARTpower builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power diplomacy,” which embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools – in this case the visual arts – to bring people together and foster greater understanding.

For up to 45 days during the next year, the following American artists will travel to all corners of the globe, where they will partner with local arts organizations to engage with underserved youth and create community-based projects. The first smARTpower artist, Kabir Carter of Brooklyn, New York, will depart October 24 for Istanbul, Turkey. Other artists will follow throughout 2012 with travel to China, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Venezuela.

The artists participating in smARTpower, the countries to which they will travel, and their in-country partner arts organizations are:

Duke Riley of Brooklyn, New York – Shanghai, China
Partner Organization: Arthub Asia

Chris “Daze” Ellis of New York, New York – Quito, Ecuador
Partner Organization: Cero Inspiración

Arturo Lindsay of Atlanta, Georgia – Cairo, Egypt
Partner Organization: Medrar/Nagla Samir

Rochelle Feinstein of New York, New York – Accra, Ghana
Partner Organization: Foundation for Contemporary Art

Caroline Woolard of Brooklyn, New York – New Delhi, India
Partner Organization: KHOJ

Miguel Luciano of Brooklyn, New York – Nairobi and Dadaab Province, Kenya
Partner Organization: Kuona Trust

Samuel Gould of Minneapolis, Minnesota – Pristina, Kosovo
Partner Organization: Stacion Center for Contemporary Art

Ghana Think Tank (comprised of Christopher Robbins, John Ewing, and Maria del Carmen Montoya) of Little Neck, New York; Roxbury, Massachusetts; and Corvallis, Oregon – Beirut, Lebanon
Partner Organization: Arab Image Foundation

Pepón Osorio of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Kathmandu, Nepal
Partner Organization: Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre

Brett Cook of Berkeley, California – Lagos, Nigeria
Partner Organization: Wy Art Foundation

Art Jones of Bronx, New York – Karachi, Pakistan
Partner Organization: Vasl

Mary Mattingly of New York, New York – Manila, Philippines
Partner Organization: Green Papaya Art Projects

Xaviera Simmons of Brooklyn, New York – Colombo, Sri Lanka
Partner Organization: Theertha International Artists Collective.

Kabir Carter of Brooklyn, New York – Istanbul, Turkey
Partner Organization: PiSt///Interdisciplinary Project Space

Seth Augustine and Rachel Shachar of Los Angeles, California – Caracas, Venezuela
Partner Organization: Centro Cultural Chacao
More than 900 individuals from nearly all 50 states and U.S. territories applied to the program. Those chosen include both emerging and established artists who work in a variety of media, from site-specific happenings to portable art installations. Selection criteria included the strength of the artists’ work, and their experienced commitment to community-based art making.

One problem had to do with people being divided from each other by computers even when they share physical space. So, our Zapotan Think Tank in Mexico came up with the idea of a sort of physical facebook status to affix to your computer:

Where are the senses in digital learning? True connection and synergy are enhanced by the engagement of all our senses and the exchange on a sensory level with others…
⇒ physical status updates for ppl’s chairs, laptops (Mexico)

Here’s what we made, with the help of a laser cutter and some hardware store grommets:

How can we maintain a personal connection with others when we are online? ⇒ Blackouts increase intimacy, coping strategies (Gaza)

PPT is ruining our minds ⇒ Do Social Theater Instead (El Salvador)

After failing to get permission (or access) to knock out circuit breakers at the New School, and after failing to convince any speakers at the conference to replace their planned powerpoint presentations with Social Theatre, we turned the Think Tanks’ solutions on ourselves, deciding to have both a black out and a Theatre of the Oppressed session during our PowerPoint presentation.

We hired Theatre of the Oppressed NYC for this experiment, and about 10 minutes into our presentation, the lights went out, the projector died, and we were all left in the pitch dark.

As people struggled to get things working, and we groped around to keep the presentation going, a voice rang out, “I have an idea!”

Two minutes later we were making images with our bodies and following each other’s noises in the dark, playing an opposite game and trying to tie all of this back to the Ghana ThinkTank and to Problems with Digital Education.

It was in turns awkward, funny, baffling, interesting and excruciating… tough to watch people stream out the doors from their discomfort, but great to see a conversation develop.

In response to the problem “How can we make sure that accessibility doesn’t hinder the pleasure of reading?”, the think tanks in Gaza, Serbia and Prison came back with related solutions:

Our think tank in Gaza told us to “Sit on the roof with a book and watch the sunset. We recommend “Orientalism” by Edward Said, because there is no way you could read that dense book on a screen.”

Serbia said “If you want to read on a digital device, then you have to go sit under a tree to read your book with that device.”

And the Think Tank of Incarcerated Boys recommended we read “Dutch” by Terry Woods, tell a friend about it, and then give it to them.

So, as part of the MobilityShifts conference, we got a group of people together for a rooftop reading session, sampling from “Orientalism” by Edward Said, and “Dutch” by Terry Woods.

Our think tank in Taiwan came up with a rather oblique and exciting solution for one particular Digital problem: How can availability of information not become mere distraction?

Taiwan recommended we form a community of common interest other than technology or education. So, we thought about what interests people at MobilityShifts would share beyond the conference themes, and realized that the Occupy Wall Street movement was probably an important and timely shared interest.

So, we headed down to Wall Street with the Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit to ask people “What’s your Wall Street Problem?” We will continue to patrol the area, and will send these Wall Street Problems to our think tanks in Iran, Gaza, El Salvador, Serbia, Ghana, Cuba, Mexico, Prison (and are beginning efforts to establish think tanks in Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, and Libya for this initiative).

Thanks to the New School, MobilityShifts, and the Vera List Center for the invitation that spurred the problem that brought the solution that started this entire endeavour…

For the New School’s conference MobilityShifts on Digital Learning (Oct. 10-16, 2011), the Vera List Center for Art and Politics ask the Ghana ThinkTank to solve the problems posed by the conference.

So we sent out a call for people’s Digital Problems, delivered these problems to our think tanks in Ghana, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Serbia, Kosovo, Iran and Taiwan, and have been implementing these solutions through the conference this week.

In Brief:

PPT is ruining our minds ⇒ Do Social Theater Instead (El Salvador)

How can we maintain a personal connection with others when we are online? ⇒ Blackouts increase intimacy, coping strategies (Gaza)

How can availability of information not become mere distraction? ⇒ Form a community of common interest other than technology. (Taiwan) Fri 5PM Occupy Wall St.

How can we make sure that accessibility doesn’t hinder the pleasure of reading? ⇒ sit on the roof with a book and watch the sunset (Gaza) // If you want to read on a digital device, then you have to go sit under a tree to read your book with that device (Serbia)

Where are the senses in digital learning? True connection and synergy are enhanced by the engagement of all our senses and the exchange on a sensory level with others…
⇒ physical status updates for ppl’s chairs, laptops (Mexico)

Ghana ThinkTank at The New School

Monday, October 10, through Saturday, October 15, 2011

Developing the First World Workshop
Thursday, October 13, 2011, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

The Vera List Center for Art and Politics presents the Ghana ThinkTank for a week-long residency to engage the public in examining issues posed by the MobilityShifts International Future of Learning Summit, taking place October 10-16, 2011 at The New School. During their residency, Ghana ThinkTank presents a variety of events that raise questions and provide possible solutions to the problems of digital education. These events will include the Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit at 66 West 12th Street, an exhibition at the Skybridge Curatorial Project, a workshop, a sunset reading, and a series of actions and interventions throughout the MobilityShifts conference.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Headquarters
Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit
Monday, October 10, through Saturday, October 15, 2011
Open every day, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Conveniently parked outside the MobilityShifts headquarters at 66 West 12th Street
Free admission

The Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit is a custom-built teardrop trailer designed to journey into the so-called “First World,” where it collects issues of concern from various local communities. The collected problems get sent to think tanks in Ghana, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Serbia, Iran, Afghanistan and/or other countries, where strategies are developed. The trailer then rolls back into the previously visited communities, this time as a workstation, cooperating with community members to apply the strategies received from this global network of think tanks—whether they seem impractical or brilliant—for effected communities. Ghana ThinkTank thus reverses the customary flow of knowhow from “developed” to “developing” countries in playful and provocative ways.

The Mobile Unit serves as a base for Ghana Think Tank’s operations, including solutions being implemented during the conference. Stop by the Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit throughout the week to participate in any of these actions.

Exhibition
Ghana ThinkTank at The Skybridge Curatorial Project
Monday, October 10, through Saturday, October 15, 2011
Open every day, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.
65 West 11th Street, 3rd Floor

Ghana ThinkTank’s exhibition at the Skybridge Curatorial Project serves an extension to the Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit, and a visual grounding for more ephemeral actions and interventions. Specifically, the exhibition asks passersby to consider the gaps rampant in cross-cultural interactions across borders and technology.

Actions
Ghana ThinkTank: Developing the First World
In addition to a series of unscheduled interventions into the conference suggested by think tanks in Serbia, Kosovo, Mexico, and the Gaza Strip, Ghana ThinkTank conducts the following scheduled events:

Sunset Reading Action
Thursday, October 13, 2011, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
The New School, rooftop on 5th Avenue at 13th Street
RSVP required at vlc@newschool.edu

This rooftop sunset reading event is a solution proposed by think tanks in Gaza Strip, Serbia, and a U.S. prison to the question: Are there different qualities of reading/learning? Suggested texts include Orientalism, by Edward Said, and Dutch by Terry Woods. Attendance is extremely limited, please email vlc@newschool.edu to reserve.

Workshop
Thursday, October 13, 2011, 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
The New School, Malcolm Klein Reading Room
66 West 12th Street, Room 510
Free admission

Ghana ThinkTank founding members John Ewing and Christopher Robbins speak with artist and educator Kianga Ford and curator Carin Kuoni about the surprising solutions that address the concerns around digital education, and many related issues raised by the conference. After their discussion, Ewing and Robbins will divide the audience into action teams to explore the ideas collected from the think tanks, and discuss plans for their application to effected communities.

Potential solutions to be enacted include creating an analogue system for personal status updates in “meat space,” turning PowerPoint presentations into social theater performances, forming communities of common interest between participants around shared interests unrelated to education or technology, and a series of unannounced actions meant to question some of the assumptions of the conference itself.

Occupy Wall Street Action
Friday, October 14, 2011, 5:00 – 6:30 pm
The New School, 66 West 12th Street

Meet at the Ghana ThinkTank Mobile Unit to strategize how to help occupy Wall Street.

Please contact the Ghana ThinkTank at ghanathinktank@gmail.com if you would like to be involved in any of these actions, at the conference or back in your home institution.

Ghana ThinkTank was created in 2006 by Christopher Robbins, John Ewing, and Matey Odonkor. Maria del Carmen Montoya joined the project in 2009.

Participants:
John Ewing, artist, founder, Ghana ThinkTank
Christopher Robbins, artist, founder, Ghana ThinkTank of Media
Aaron Krach, collaborating artist, Ghana ThinkTank
Kianga Ford, Director of BFA Fine Arts, Assistant Professor of New Genres, School of Art, Media, and Technology at Parsons, The New School for Design
Carin Kuoni, Director, Vera List Center for Art and Politics

more info…