Objective:
Pressure Moderna to release taxpayer-funded research products and knowledge (namely, the safe, effective, life-saving vaccine “recipe”) to the public in order to promote global manufacturing and support efforts to end the pandemic.
The Project:
In creating a twist on this popular holiday carol, this new song deals with themes of social, political, and cultural criticisms that allow us to reflect on topics that call medical research institutions to action and force them to take morality, ethics, and the human condition into deeper consideration.
TRY THIS:
Sing it – even out of season
Revise the lyrics
What worked?
This song offered people a way to not only learn about how Moderna has contributed to the evil perpetuation of the vaccine apartheid, but this also offers people a way to engage in activism though caroling themselves or sharing videos produced by other leadership teams/choirs. With piano sheet music included, any group of people can sing along and add their voices to this platform.
Other Notes:
With the first version of this song focused on a satirical reflection of the state of the world, our second and final version of the song was enhanced with team-based efforts to improve its educational qualities and incite greater public outrage at the moral failings of Moderna as well as other general issues with the way Big Pharma operates in our society.
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A set of instructions exists on how to make this work
- Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Reflections from Madeline Chung
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Every voice is powerful, and bringing about positive transformation in the world begins when we start using our voices. Individuals working together in solidarity can find new ways to become empowered, and with the power that is found in numbers, we can create meaningful, lasting changes in society that will enhance the lives of people surrounding us. Think big, and push for the changes that you want to see in the world.
About this project
Creators:
- Madeline Chung, MBE
- Laura Holzman
December, 2021
Image/graphic, Online/web thing, Performance, Print, Video, Writing
United States, Cleveland
11×5 inches
Download Original/High-Resolution File: Free-the-Vaccine-Group-Project.pdf
Objective:
To popularize the story of Jonas Salk’s sharing his vaccine without a patent and show that another way is possible.
The Project:
This banner was designed for the May 5, 2021 event in Washington D.C. It’s meant to work like the banner that would be used for a group marching in a parade. You can download versions for various regions we have Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 participants. Or modify one to make your own.
TRY THIS:
Print it.
Join the Jonas Salk Fan Club and make one for your local chapter.
What worked?
It should be a magnet for photographers – hopefully!
Other Notes:
The design is based off the Jonas Salk sticker I made just for fun, kind of on a whim. That’s how it starts sometimes.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Steve Lambert
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Have this printed at a local copy shop/office supply store. You can get it printed on plain paper for pretty cheap. It won’t look *great* but it will look good enough.
Of course, you can also print it on something heavier for a higher cost. And you should if you can!
A lot of these parade banners have yellow fringe at the bottom (do an image search for “parade banner”). That’s, of course, optional but would be a nice touch.
About this project
Creators:
April, 2021
United States, Poughkeepsie
3ft H by 10ft W
Download Original/High-Resolution File: Jonas-Salk-Banner-NYC.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-Berlin.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-UK.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-LA.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-CA.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-BOSTON.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-DE.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-201.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-PITTSBURGH.pdf, Jonas-Salk-Banner-DC-1.pdf
Objective:
The objective of the work was to find a playful and timely way to encourage people to head to the free the vaccine website and support the open covid pledge by signing it.
The Project:
The Kookaburra group created a giant inflatable syringe in season 1. At the end of this season we turned the action of blowing it up into the performance. Dressed in Santa and elf costumes we set up a santa’s workshop down by the Yarra River. In the video you will see Santa and the elves busy building a giant inflatable syringe to fulfil an Xmas letter to Santa. Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a free vaccine big enough for the whole world!
TRY THIS:
Make it in your community.
Connect with another holiday.
What worked?
The crowd engagement was an unexpected highlight. We had a group of children helping with one of the guy ropes as we controlled the giant puppet like syringe. They asked some fabulous questions and were really curious. My favourite comment came from a child only about 10 years old: is this an Elon Musk project?
About this project
Creators:
- Tessa Marshall
- Greg Giannis
- Zan griffith
December, 2020
Australia, Melbourne
video of an action
Link to Original or High-Res file
Other Notes:
The syringe was made by Greg Giannis in Season One. I thought it was a feat of engineering. He removed his car battery to power the inflation.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
Links:
Reflections from zan griffith
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
This work was building on the work done in Season 1. In Season one, Greg and Tessa built an inflatable syringe but due to Melbourne lockdown never got an opportunity to launch it. This Christmas themed work was the second time the syringe had been launched and it was also the first time all participants had met in person. The Christmas theme was a way to package up the filming of the syringe in a playful and timely manner.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
All the collaborators brought a sense of fun and flexibility to the action. Greg Giannis was the mastermind behind the inflatable syringe. With his background in engineering he created it so that it could be inflated from the power of a car battery. Tessa Marshall as a medical doctor created the brochures that we handed out at the action. Zan, who loves a ‘dress tip’ organised the signs and costumes.
What were some of the responses to this work?
We had a lot of interest from children and in the process of inflating the syringe we drew quite a crowd.There was a definite sense of fun and curiosity from the crowd. the video of the event was edited and put on instagram with positive responses.
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
A Giant Syringe Blimp to tour over major cities. (e.g. the skywhale hot air balloon by patricia piccinini)
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
It would have been great to have a few more hands on deck so that during the inflation of the syringe we could have had people talking with the crowd about our objectives. We were so busy with the handling of the syringe this opportunity was missed.
Objective:
Our greater objective was to get NYU to sign the Open Covid Pledge. We identified a target at NYU and thought including something creative in an email to her would make it more likely for her to engage with the email and respond to us.
The Project:
Improv conversations with COVID-19. In particular: a concerned person wanted COVID-19 to go away, so she talked to someone at a university that was doing COVID-19 research, asking them to open up their licensing so that the pandemic would end sooner. The university rep called their big pharma contact and both were skeptical. But then the Plague Doctor appeared and convinced everyone to agree to the Open Covid Pledge.
TRY THIS:
Make one!
What worked?
It worked! We included an image from our action in our email to our target and she wrote back right away saying she would be happy to meet with us.
Other Notes:
We knew from research that our target had a background in more creative ways of achieving major health aims.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
Links:
Reflections from Rachel Karp
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
We were most taken with the image of talking to COVID-19 and think this could build into a social media campaign of people talking to COVID about how universities/pharmaceutical corporations/health organizations/government entities can make COVID go away–in a way that is safe, equitable, and accessible to all.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Things we found that were useful: the person playing COVID-19 changing their profile picture to COVID-19 and turning their camera off, Zoom backgrounds for as many other participants as possible, simple costumes, having an overall outline of what we would say, and trying to move through that outline pretty quickly (because otherwise the improv can get really bogged down). We wanted to make something short–maybe 60 seconds–but we never got it below about 3 minutes. Also, we learned after the fact that using the Zoom recording function doesn’t work because it doesn’t capture the profile image of someone with their camera off, so record through e.g. QuickTime or something that can capture a screen to make sure you get the key image of COVID-19 talking!
About this project
Creators:
- Rachel Gita Karp
- Shivesh Shourya
- Carly Besser
- Esh Garg
- Mahayana Landowne
October, 2020
Image/graphic, Online/web thing, Performance, Video
United States, Brooklyn
2298 x 1349
Download Original/High-Resolution File: Hawks-Action.png
Objective:
1) Create irresistible imagery for a media campaign to work towards our larger goal of having the University of Pittsburgh to Sign the Open Covid Pledge. 2) Raise awareness about Dr. Salk’s connection to vaccine research and open Intellectual property to the greater public. 3) Create a fun and timely halloween-centered work of creative activism
The Project:
Invoking the ghost of vaccine researcher Dr. Jonas Salk, we created humorous gravestones that echo his perspective about vaccine patents when asked about the polio vaccine he developed in Pittsburgh – “could you patent the sun?” Then we dressed up as Dr.Salk and distributed these gravestones (with linked QR codes to learn more) all over The University of Pittsburgh campus where current COVID-19 vaccine research is being done to encourage the same openness and support for a peoples vaccine that is the university’s legacy.
TRY THIS:
Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine
Channel the Ghost of Salk in your community.
What worked?
The creative community process! As a lab, the Juncos worked across different cities with different backgrounds to make this happen. Once we did this action we were empowered to keep going and this led to many more actions and activities in our efforts to get the University of Pittsburgh to sign the Open Covid Pledge.
About this project
Creators:
- Joseph Amodei
- Kisha Patterson
- Laura Holzman
- Lyam Gabel
- Erin Roussel
- Elin
October, 2020
Image/graphic, Installation/Intervention, Online/web thing, Performance
United States, Pittsburgh
various
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A set of instructions exists on how to make this work
- An original object can be provided for exhibition
- Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Reflections from Joseph Amodei
What were some of the responses to this work?
People were really excited about the halloween timeliness of this work! It even spurred collaboration with another lab across the country (where Salk’s actual gravesite is) and resulted in more exciting imagery and proliferation of this people’s vaccine ethos.
What would be your next steps, building on this idea, if you had a million dollars and all the time and skills in the world?
If there is no people’s vaccine next year (as in no promise to share the IP and the manufacturing technology of current vaccines with the rest of the world for free), then I would make the scale of this 1000x this first iteration to really draw attention to the harm that vaccine profiteering causes to the wider world outside of the USA and other wealthy (via extracted labor and colonialism) countries. In short, to continue to summon and make proud the spirit of Dr.Salk.
Objective:
To educate the public and advocate for a People’s Vaccine.
The Project:
A rally to mourn loss, celebrate life, and encourage our institutions to do better and provide a People’s Vaccine.
TRY THIS:
Make it specific to your community.
Organize one where you live.
What worked?
Images from the Funk Rally made it into national and international news.
Other Notes:
We started with a New Orleans Jazz-style funeral to mourn the overwhelming loss of life and then transitioned to a festive rally inspired by DC-based Go-Go music and 1970s fashion.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
Links:
Reflections from Tayyiaba Farooq
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
The Funk Rally came out a need to represent the grim seriousness of the campaign and Trump’s failure are president to adequately combat the pandemic while also painting a picture of hope for the future. At first organizers had wanted to keep the tone very serious and somber, but together with other ally organizations we can up with theming of Funk and imagery from the 70s. The rally was also adapted from a traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral where they do not only mourn the end, but celebrate the very concept of life. The inspiration of this went in to the color of parade decorations, the lab coats with flowers and inspirational quotes, as well as the displaying local music culture. Altogether we were able to create something that was full of life and solidarity for our community. The approach we had taken to demanding action on ending the pandemic and ensuring an accessible vaccine was unique to our rally and was derived from the principles of creative activism. This out of the box approach had really gotten the attention of people that would have not otherwise cared. It was a great example of ally organizations coming together to make something positive, and from my perspective really launched the idea of vaccine accessibility at the University of Maryland.
What were some of the responses to this work?
People were able to dance in the street, create a beautiful mural at the end, and receive positive attention from onlookers and those who featured us in the press. The imagery produced from the campaign is still being used, and just goes to show the impact this one event has had on the campaign at large.
About this project
Creators:
- Free the Vaccine for Covid-19
October, 2020
United States, Washington
Varies
Objective:
We’re asking the target universities to sign the Open Covid Pledge, to stop drug companies profiteering with publicly funded research. In the UK people are used to free healthcare, and unused to thinking about the injustice of health inequalities and the malign role of drug companies. Consequently the universities feel limited pressure. This action was a show of strength from the campaign, to increase pressure on the universities, as well as a public awareness raising effort, through the street presence to a limited extent, but mostly through the social and traditional media interest we generated.
The Project:
Activists in giant Covid-19 masks joined syringe wielding students in lab coats, beside neon pink dancing protestors, to call on London’s universities to pledge to make their healthcare research on Covid-19 available to the world. The Carnival March for a People’s Vaccine took place on July 27, 2020, from Kings College London (Guy’s Campus) to University College London, asking the universities to sign the Open Covid Pledge, to stop drug companies profiteering with publicly funded research.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Organize one in your community.
Make it even bigger.
What worked?
The costumes! Despite a gray day in London, you couldn’t miss us in our neon pink and giant covid head costumes. There were lots of banners, and placards, and QR codes so that passers by and social media viewers could understand the action clearly.
About this project
Creators:
July, 2020
Installation/Intervention, Performance, Video
United Kingdom, London
1’40”
Other Notes:
It was a great collaboration between Free the Vaccine volunteers and volunteers from Universities Allied for Essential Medicines UK, Just Treatment, Stop AIDs, Act Up UK, and other access to healthcare activists.
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A set of instructions exists on how to make this work
- An original object can be provided for exhibition
- Original files can be provided for exhibition
Links:
157 registers:
Reflections from Rachel Reid
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
Lots of collaborative planning meetings interspersed with lots of glue and paint, following by lots of dancing and lots of walking!
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
We benefited from some deep experience in the group, from the activists who thought to consult lawyers about our rights before the action, to people with wide media and communications experience, to artists.
What were some of the responses to this work?
For the giant covid head wearers it varied from Londoner indifference to laughter to lots of pictures. Generally people who approached us were sympathetic and interested.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Have a sub-group working on communications, including traditional, not just social. There was lots still to do at the last minute (as ever!)