For my Occupy the Dollhouse exhibit at Artomatic, I decided to include some photos that I took from the actual Occupation sites just so visitors can see my inspiration for the series. This is the collage of photos I took of an Occupation site at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC. Here is my label description of this piece.
Stop the Machine (Later Renamed Occupy Washington, DC)
Location: Freedom Plaza
Background: Stop the Machine started as an anti-war group and had planned a temporary protest camp at Freedom Plaza in October, 2011 as a way of commemorating and protesting the 11th year of the Afghanistan War while publicizing the link between corporatism and militarism and how it influences U.S. foreign policy. Coincidentally they started their camp around the same time as the rise of the Occupy movement and, being inspired by Occupy DC in McPherson Square, Stop the Machine decided to stay in Freedom Plaza and become part of the Occupy movement. Stop the Machine would later rename itself Occupy Washington, DC.
Current Status as of June 22, 2012: The National Park Service has closed down and cleared the Freedom Plaza site. Around the same time there were internal squabbles within the group that led to a split into two separate factions with each one claiming to be the “official” or “real” Occupy Washington, DC of Freedom Plaza.
Websites: october2011.org (Faction 1); mike-check.org (Faction 2)
Now through June 23 you’ll be able to see and purchase print versions of these photos at Artomatic 2012 in Crystal City, Virginia. The Occupy the Dollhouse exhibit is located on the 10th floor in room 166.