[A2k] Patry's Blog on Gordon Duggan's Great Comic

[Manon Ress]

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Link to comic:

    http://www.appropriationart.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/51_state.pdf

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    http://williampatry.blogspot.com/2008/06/gordon-duggans-great-comic.htm=
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Thursday, June 12, 2008

Gordon Duggan's Great Comic
The Canadian government has announced it will introduce (as we Yanks
say) its long-anticipated copyright reform bill this morning sometime
before 11 a.m. To wile away the time before then, I strongly suggest
reading the most amazing piece of public policy advocacy I have ever
seen. Mixing Thomas Nast with superheros comics, Gordan Duggan, a
Canadian artist who works with the Appropriation Art collective, has
just "published" a pdf comic called 51st State. The comic book details
the fight for Canadian sovereignty in the face of overwhelming
American interests and pressure. He describes it as "a bit ironic."

The comic book is entirely constructed of found quotes and images,
making it a fantastic blend of original art work and appropriation of
others' materials. If this is all the comic book was, it would be
enough, but its not: there are 193 links to blogs, articles, video,
etc.; every balloon and caption has at least one link that is
activated by clicking on the balloon. The work is an extremely clever
use of traditional comic book art and Internet technology. One of the
links I found interesting is to an interview in CBC Arts with Steven
Page, lead singer for the group Barenaked Ladies. In the interview,
Mr. Page states: "For a very long time, we =96 as artists =96 have allowed
industry groups to speak on our behalf. We want that time to stop."
Take that flatulent Copyright Alliance! Songwriter Andrew Cash is
quoted as saying: "The music business has spent so much creative
energy and money fighting instead of taking a look at what fans are
really doing and trying to find a way to swim with it." Canadian
artists are said to be seeking a cooperative approach that
incorporates emerging technologies, rather than a combative plan of
attack. Mr. Page added, "We cannot afford to have an adversarial
relationship with our fans. New technology affords fans new ways to
listen to music. We as artists... must adapt to that. "To say, 'See
you in court,' and then, 'See you at Massey Hall,' isn't going to work."

Another link is to an article by Mr. Duggan, in which he comments:

For many creators more restrictive copyright is neither desirable nor
beneficial. For many artists freedom of expression includes freedom to
access preexisting culture. One could argue that freedom in Canada is
rooted in the notion of freedom through access: access to education,
access to health care, access to government. In the United States
freedom appears to be freedom through domination: domination through
litigation, domination through military, domination through rhetoric.
Disentangling Canadian law from American rhetoric is essential in
understanding what rights we have as Canadian artists, how these
rights affect our work and what changes are needed. Copyright
legislation in Canada has largely been artist-driven. In the U.S.
copyright has been driven by corporate interests.

These remarks explain why the fight over Canadian legislation has
generated so much grassroots support, but it also says a great deal
about how we in the U.S. suffer from the way trade associations have
been successful in positioning themselves as the representatives of
authors, musicians, and artists, and it explains why I repeatedly
point out the callow nature of the so-called Copyright Alliance: the
statement that that organization speaks for 11 million of the real
creators and that it speaks for them with one voice, is obscene, and
is intended to keep creators barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.
All of us, in every country, have a stake in Canadian authors,
artists, and musicians succeeding. They are fighting the good fight
that seems lost in the U.S.

The comic is available here. It works best you download the pdf to
your harddrive. Mr. Duggan's work is an amazing accomplishment.


***************************************************************************
Manon Ress
manon.ress@keionline.org,

1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Fax: +1.202.332.2673