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:
Get Moderna to share its vaccine-production knowledge with the World Health Organization.
The Project:
A poster about the American duty to help ramp up global vaccine production. It stresses the importance of sharing with the World Health Organization taxpayer-funded knowledge about how to make vaccines. It’s inspired by a WWII-era poster by Andrew Wyeth.
TRY THIS:
Print it and post it.
Customize the call to action.
What worked?
It is visually striking!
Other Notes:
It’s hard to pick just one location associated with this piece – it was a collaboration among people based in LA, Pittsburgh/Buffalo, Indianapolis, Maryland, Delaware/Philadelphia, and Boston.
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An original object can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Daria Bazzi
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
Upon being sent the original image and idea by Laura, I used photoshop to edit the image into a version that communicated what we were trying to express, and made different versions from there based on feedback from the team. Afterwards we set up a google doc for people to use as a resource if wanting to use the image in various formats.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
Art history, design, messaging, different audience perspectives.
What were some of the responses to this work?
Some found it really cool and clever, others were a bit confused by the dated look.
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?
Maybe a more thorough photoshopping/re-illustrating of the original image to bring home the message even more, perhaps put it on a billboard or in Times Square or something, animate it a bit.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Please feel free to build upon it! We provided editable versions of all assets for people to use as they please, I’m sure there are other creative ways and formats to pair with this concept.
About this project
Creators:
- Daria Bazzi
- Laura Holzman
- Kisha Patterson
- Vandhana Reddy
- Maanasa Gurram
- Jaya M.
- Parthu K.
December, 2021
Image/graphic, Online/web thing, Print
United States, Los Angeles
36 x 24 inches, variable
Objective:
Playfully encourage those who are mildly vaccine hesitant (not anti-vaccine) because of fear, concerns about it not being “natural” or are just more familiar or more comfortable with wellness language. Also to model a more lighthearted way of engaging for those who are on the same side.
The Project:
A series of 10 images that talk about vaccines using the jargon and aesthetic of “wellness.”
TRY THIS:
Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine
Make it specific to another community.
What worked?
What I think is funny is rarely what large populations think is funny, but apparently this resonated with a lot of people. It’s by far the most popular thing I’ve ever posted on instagram, by a factor of 7 in the first 48 hours. It was re-posted on some other accounts and in total over 11,000 people liked it, which means many more saw it.
Other Notes:
I have a history of irritation with scams, pseudoscience, the idea that things are “natural” or “unnatural”, etc. I’d also recently listened to an episode of Maintenance Phase about the “Wellness to QAnon Pipeline” that was still rattling around in my head.
Friends like Merith Basey, Stephen Duncombe, Jean Raillia, Dread Scott, and others saw early drafts and gave me some helpful feedback, which is how it got less mean.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
Links:
Reflections from Steve Lambert
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
It was an idea I had late one night, made a note, and then couldn’t get it out of my head. It started with “wouldn’t it be funny if…” and I made an initial image as a proof of concept. Then I shared that image with a few friends and they reacted positively, so I kept honing it.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
The first draft ended with “GET FUCKING VACCINATED! You privileged, self-centered, cockwombles!” Merith taught me the word cockwomble. But mostly the collaborators relayed that they thought it could work well without the turn at the end. I thought maybe it would make it more cathartic and funny, but I think leaning the other direction helped it work.
What were some of the responses to this work?
It went crazy on Instagram.
“This is the funniest shit I’ve seen in so long I love it 😂 so good!!!”
“I told my friend Michael from @bedsideroundz this was the best satire piece I’ve seen this year. 🏆🏆🏆”
“I love this so much ❤️❤️🙌🙌 I his is incredible and worded in a way I would have loved to but have always been to angry to express without sounding like I’m on the attack 😂”
“For some reason, it was the picture of avocados that made me laugh. This is so silly and so good 😂👏👏👏”
There’s also comments on the post, tremendously positive.
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?
Make print brochures to take to health food stores. Make cheesy video commercials and put them on tv and online.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Free stock photos and the right font are your friend. Work fast. There was a point in the middle I wasn’t sure it was funny at all because I’d been working too closely for too long. So keep testing with other people if it’s funny because you may not be able to know.
Also, I got an unexpected amount of comments. The straight up misinformation I would write a slam-dunk response to or just delete it. Some people asked legit questions. You can get a sense of how I handled it in the comments, but I also wrote up a summary for a friend that I can share too – reach out if needed.
About this project
Creators:
August, 2021
Image/graphic, Online/web thing
United States, Poughkeepsie
1600px Square
Objective:
– To educate people on how vaccines are made, patented, and distributed
– To raise awareness of how patents play a detrimental role in access to vaccine
– To spark dialogue around these issues with the public
The Project:
“I’m Just a Vaccine” is a parody of School House Rock’s classic video “I’m Just a Bill’’ from 1976. The animation features a vaccine and a kid having a conversation about the vaccine pipeline and how the Covid-19 vaccine is still inaccessible to much of the world because of restrictive licensing and patents. The video directs viewers to a platform on the Free the Vaccine website that showcases past instances where patents were not enforced on heath (and other) technologies and aims to spark dialogue on these issues.
TRY THIS:
Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine
What worked?
The video went viral! In less than 24 hours, the video got 100K+ views on Facebook via Occupy Democrats.
The video worked really well because it’s based on an iconic video with an easily identifiable style and contains accessible language about a very complex issue that empowers everyday people to engage with this pressing issue.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
Links:
Reflections from Heloise Widdig
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
Daria originally came up with the idea in the Funify R&D squad and we just rolled with it! After discussing the objective of the video and the messages we wanted to get across, Dannie and Heloise formulated the script. We changed the words to get the right messages across while cutting down on the length and still keeping the structure similar to the original. Meanwhile, Daria was the mastermind behind the animation. While staying true to the iconic style of the original, she developed unique characters and setting for the video. After the first draft of the video was completed, Dannie and an actor, Eamon Kinsman, did the voiceover for the kid and the vaccine. In the final weeks before the launch date, Dannie and Heloise created a social media plan for the video’s launch.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
A combination of Daria’s fabulous animating skills, Dannie’s tremendous organizing, writing, and voice-over skills, and Heloise’s writing and support, gave us the foundation necessary to create a successful video and have a great launch.
What were some of the responses to this work?
1.4k likes on Facebook in less than 24 hours and lots of positive comments!
About this project
Creators:
- Daria Bazzi
- Dannie Snyder
- Heloise Widdig
May, 2021
United States, Los Angeles
2 min 44 seconds
Download Original/High-Resolution File: ImAVaccine_Final_16_9_Subtitles.mov.zip
Objective:
We wanted people at UCLA and in the surrounding communities to sign onto the Open COVID Pledge.
The Project:
This was a rally we had for May Day at UCLA. We all held up posters to reach out to passerbyers to sign onto the Open COVID Pledge.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Organize one in your community.
Make it even more participatory.
What worked?
We successfully signed on many individuals of the UCLA community onto the OCP!
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Reflections from Naneeta Desar
About this project
Creators:
- Naneeta
- Avani
- Mominah
- Akshitha
- Johanna
- Jaya
- Ellery
- Isabella
- Remy
- Leena
May, 2021
United States, Los Angeles
2.6 MB
Objective:
The objective was to tag various places and get the FTV logo/”free the vaccine” concept out there in different ways!
The Project:
This was a stencil design made to be cut out and then spray painted to increase exposure for the Free the Vaccine concept/campaign!
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Download the stencil and use it.
What worked?
I thought the simplicity and accessibility of the project was very successful! The most out there material you might need is some spray paint and an xacto knife.
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A set of instructions exists on how to make this work
Reflections from Daria Bazzi
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
It was pretty simple! I saw a lot of tags/stenciled graffiti outside, and I’d made a stencil before, so it felt like a simple thing to do. I printed out a large scale version of the FTV logo, traced it onto some Bristol paper (more sturdy paper), and then cut out the shapes with an xacto knife.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
What was cool about this project was that I unfortunately didn’t have the time to go stencil myself at the public art walls we were planning to go to, so I was able to pass this along to one of my squadmates, Carly Besser, who went out into the world and tagged a bunch of walls and took very cool pictures.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Make sure to use sturdy paper! Something like draft tape is also super helpful if you’re stenciling the design on walls outside.
About this project
Creators:
- Daria Bazzi
- Carly Besser
April, 2021
United States, Los Angeles
2000 x 2000 px
Download Original/High-Resolution File: FTV_Stencil-1.pdf, 86e27459edbd3650752bf236b8c38216a04558cf_2_1332x1000.jpeg, IMG_2125.jpg
Objective:
The European Citizen’s Initiative calls on the European Commission to make anti-pandemic vaccines and treatments a global public good, freely accessible to everyone. As the initiative needs 1 million signatures to be brought to the European Commission, it is important to appeal to the general public and get as many people to sign on as possible. We wanted to create a simple, but engaging sticker that would catch people’s attention in public spaces to persuade them to sign onto the petition.
The Project:
Our stickers follow the principle of Valentine’s Day cards, they show two vaccines that want to be together and provide a QR code to get them closer. The QR code redirects to the website of the Right2Cure European Citizen’s Initiative. We distributed these stickers all around European cities to get people to sign the petition.
TRY THIS:
Print it and stick it.
Make it specific to your community.
What worked?
The stickers are very cute and follow the color scheme of the Free the Vaccine campaign – that can help to get people’s attention.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
Reflections from Katharina Wolfenstetter
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
The idea started out when were brainstorming impossible ideas. Someone said that we should force politicians to have hearts. That evolved into sending them hearts. That then evolved into sending them some kind of Valentine’s Day card. But as we wanted to reach as many people as possible to sign onto the petition, we decided to go with stickers that follow the idea of a Valentine’s Day card, which could be distributed all around cities with the QR code of the petition on there.
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?
Plaster every city in Europe with our stickers and hand them out to students for free – because students always like free stickers, especially when they are cute! 🙂
About this project
Creators:
- Katharina Wolfenstetter
- Ludovico Caminati
- Johanna Twittenhoff
- Alessia Gonfroid
- Julia Billian
- Sophie Tragert
- Max Wielenga
- Elise Potthoff
- Samira Shair
- Maanasa Gurram
April, 2021
Germany, Munich
1098 × 1217 pixels
Objective:
We would like UBC students to become more educated about the Open COVID Pledge and show their support for UBC signing it.
The Project:
This poster was created to have UBC students be excited to promote the Open COVID Pledge to their university as a way to get them to sign it. A google form is included for the students to express their opinion for UBC administration to hear.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Make it specific to your community.
What worked?
I think that the idea behind this project and how it will be used was successful because it will be very simple for students to use this poster to share their thoughts.
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
Reflections from Riya Agrawal
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
First, our team had a brainstorming session on what would be accessible and informative, while also giving UBC students the chance to use their voice for an important issue. Upon coming up with the idea to have a poster with a QR-code for them to post their thoughts, I made an overall template and our team worked to improve it. Finally, I made the google form, with the description created by our team to educate the students about vaccine equity.
What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?
Cathy was very experienced with making posters of this format, so she knew what would look great. Declan and Jacob were able to phrase our wording on the poster and the google form as eloquently as possible
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?
An interactive exhibit or art piece that the students could contribute to and share their voice on the Open COVID Pledge would be a very impactful way of getting their university to hear them. This sort of exhibit could be spread to universities all across the world to amplify the message.
About this project
Creators:
- Riya
- Declan
- Jacob
- Cathy
April, 2021
Image/graphic, Online/web thing
Canada, Toronto
8.5×11 inches
Download Original/High-Resolution File: UBC-Open-COVID-Pledge.pdf
Objective:
We wanted to create an accessible way to engage with street art and murals to spread the Free the Vaccine message and symbol.
The Project:
We created a stencil and spray painted the Free the Vaccine symbols at the Venice Art Walls in Southern California.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Download the stencil and use it.
What worked?
The stencil is very easy to replicate (and the pdf can be downloaded)!
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Original files can be provided for exhibition
- The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)
Links:
Reflections from Carly Besser
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
Originally, our squad tried to explore working with a professional muralist to amplify the Free the Vaccine message. After a bit of research, and Franziska’s great advice to use the Venice Art Walls, we realized we could make our own stencil. Daria designed a stencil based off of the Free the Vaccine logo that could easily be replicated by others, and we spray painted away!
What were some of the responses to this work?
Visitors and artists at the Venice Art Walls were curious to know more about the logo design and the “Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 message.” And the artists at the wall were very kind about working around our design and ensuring that they wouldn’t cover it up (at least for the day).
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 I could build on this idea, I would work with a group of professional muralists to design permanent Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 murals based in various cities across the globe.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
Have fun with your designs and locations! And wheatpaste is always a great alternative to spray paint.
About this project
Creators:
- Carly Besser
- Daria Bazzi
- Franziska Gartner
April, 2021
Image/graphic, Installation/Intervention
United States, Los Angeles
24 ” x 12 “
Download Original/High-Resolution File: FTV_Stencil.pdf
Objective:
By sending out the mentioned memes as a postcard, we wanted to encourage politicians (mostly MEPs), already smpathizing with the idea of supporting the TRIPS-Waiver, in a positive kind of way to post more about their support and hence increase public pressure.
The Project:
In our squad we created funny memes, ironically describing current (european) patent policy or politicians behaviour, whilst pointing out more equitable and efficient solutions that help end the pandemic sooner, for example supporting the TRIPS-Waiver. These were then sent out to MEPs/politicians with an attached letter, to make them state publically their support for TRIPs-Waiver.
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:
Share them on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine
Make one!
What worked?
The memes were reposted by some NGOs and we also got some positive feedback from a few MEPs. In addition, it helped us a lot to try out Craftivism and using positive vibes to criticize.
Reflections from Elise Potthoff
What was the process/journey of creating this work?
The idea was created during the time when the container ship “Ever Given” was stuck in the Suez Channel and social media was flooded with memes about it. Therefore we also created one meme with this background.
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?
Flood every politician with a postcard specifically adapted to her/his statements on the TRIPS-topic with a picture of him/her as base of the meme. Also the memes could be printed out largely as big posters to be hung up in public area.
If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?
It would be also good to try targetting MEPs from the “other side”, not convinced of the TRIPS-Waiver yet. Of course, different texts on the memes could be helpful and also a different letter attached to it. But the procedure could be the same.
About this project
Creators:
- Samira Shair
- Ludovico Caminati
- Kathi Wolfenstetter
- Maanasa Gurram
- Hannah Dawson
- Max Wielenga
- Alessia Gonfroid
- Julia Billian
- Johanna Twittenhoff
- Owen Lukins
- Sophie Tragert
- Elise Potthoff
April, 2021
Image/graphic, Online/web thing, Print, Writing
Germany, Munster
148mm x 105mm