Tag: Connect with popular culture

Jolene Vaccine Challenge

Objective:

We’re building on Dolly Parton’s $1million donation to support COVID-19 research at Vanderbilt University. To get their attention, to educate them on the Open Covid Pledge, and to add pressure for them to sign the pledge, we chose to produce a viral music video parody of the song “Jolene” by Dolly Parton.

We now want to encourage all universities to sign the Open Covid Pledge, so we are currently discussing the “next challenge”: how to create a full-length video in a way that inspires even more people to get involved and ask universities to make a meaningful change.

The Project:

The #JoleneVaccineChallenge is an interactive project, initially intended to target Dolly Parton and Vanderbilt University. However, with the success of the project, we are now targeting universities all over the world! (Read more under “Objective” below.)

We are making a music video parody of the song “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. Do you know the song? The chorus lyrics, “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene…” have been adapted to “Vaccine, Vaccine, Vaccine, Vaccine.” Check out the video link to see how we rewrote ALL of the lyrics.

The challenge, i.e. the “interactive” element of this project, is twofold. First, we invited all members of the Free the Vaccine campaign to help us make a “trailer” for the music video. The video link here is the trailer, which consists of just the first chorus and verse to the song. At the end of the trailer, we challenge viewers to send videos of THEM lip-syncing/dancing to the song. We made a downloadable track and supplied the lyrics to the whole song for viewers.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Record your own lip sync and share it on social media. #JoleneVaccineChallenge

Perform it in your own community.

What worked?

Without Occupy Democrats having shared our video on Facebook, we would have had a MUCH harder time going viral.

Other Notes:

Thousands of people across several social media platforms watched and shared our video. We are continuing to call and email Vanderbilt and Dolly Parton representatives to remind them of our video and its growing number of likes/views.

Based on the initial response to our trailer, we’ve decided that our full-length music video should now target universities all over the world. Our trailer features members of Free the Vaccine from many different countries, emphasizing Parton’s and Vanderbilt’s global impact. In continuing this theme, for the full-length music video, we plan to have a few singers/dancers wearing not only Parton costumes or Vanderbilt t-shirts, but also, for example, t-shirts from other universities.

    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)

Links:

Reflections from Dannie Snyder

What were some of the responses to this work?

We have gone viral! That in itself is a huge response to our work.

As far as viewers accepting the challenge and submitting videos… So far we have only received a handful of submissions. (It’s not too late to send one yourself!) We are currently outlining our schedule for releasing the full-length music video (probably during the first week of December) as well as three “promotional” videos between now and then; three videos (at least) to help boost our views/likes on social media.

Unfortunately, Dolly Parton and Vanderbilt representatives have not been responding to our emails and calls.

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 we had a million dollars, we could probably think of a million ideas! Our team is always bustling around “what if we…?!” Off the top of my head, we would project the final full-length music video onto Dolly Parton’s house(s) and Vanderbilt’s buildings. We discussed the idea of – when COVID cases and social distancing measures relax – a march around Nashville in Dolly Parton costumes. But, why just in Nashville!? Why stop there?! And wouldn’t it be awesome to have the video produced in every language?! We have also discussed how to get famous people to lip-sync/dance for our full-length music video.

About this project
Creators:

July, 2020

Video

United States, Nashville

1920×1080

Public Domain

Link to Original or High-Res file

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Scientists

Objective:

As a project, Goodnight Stories for Rebel Scientists aimed both to start conversations with scientists and incentivize them to sign the Open COVID Pledge. As an interesting project/piece of art the book was meant to captivate the attention of scientists we reached out to. Then it aimed to incentivize them by offering recognition of their work by including them among a collection of other important figures, IF they signed the OCP or worked in some other way to free the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Project:

Goodnight Stories for Rebel Scientists is the beginning of a book that tells the tales of scientists and access to medicines champions who worked diligently to end the COVID-19 pandemic in a just and equitable way. The book is a series of square images. The front cover is dark blue with the title “Goodnight Stories for Rebel Scientists” with drawn images of a syringe, the COVID-19 virus, an erlenmeyer flask, and a face wearing a mask. Following the cover are entries for two scientists, Hanneke Schuitemaker and Marion Koopmans. Each entry has a story written about the scientist and a portrait of them made by different artists. The last page of the book draft features an email written to the featured scientists asking for their help finishing their story in the book and to sign the Open COVID Pledge.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

What worked?

The project helped us get the attention of Marion Koopman’s assistant. It also brought us in contact with access to medicines champion Ellen ‘t Hoen who gave our group instrumental advice in carrying forward with the campaign and who will also be featured in the book.

About this project
Creators:
  • Esther Barfoot
  • Kasia Horodynska
  • Vreer

July, 2020

Image/graphic

Netherlands, Amsterdam

2658 X 2658 pixels

Creative Commons BY

Download Original/High-Resolution File: 0001.jpg, 0002.jpg, 0003.jpg, 0004.jpg, 0005.jpg, 0006.jpg, 0007.jpg, 0008.jpg



Other Notes:

The project was inspired by the book Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls which shares the stories and work of important women throughout time.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Fiona Davey

What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?

Each collaborator brought different skills from art, design, writing, and organizing.

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 we had a million dollars and all the time in the world we would turn this project into a printed book with entries of all the important figures in access to medicines. We’d also commission portraits for each entry and support artists around the world.

A Bad Match

Description:

This poster references Tinder by using the word “match,” a flame symbol similar to the Tinder logo, and a pink/orange gradient similar to the Tinder colors.

Objective:

The objective is to get students to question the role of patents in the pandemic and to ask their university to sign the Open COVID Pledge.

About this project
Creators:
  • Navya Dasari

June, 2020

Image/graphic

United States, Phoenix

1728 x 2304 pixels

Creative Commons BY-NC

Download Original/High-Resolution File: PatentsandPandemicsRevised.png

What worked?

People familiar with Tinder were immediately able to get the reference and found it amusing! Hopefully, this means it can effectively catch students’ eyes on a university campus.

Other Notes:

Reflections from Navya Dasari

What was the process/journey of creating this work?

I created a draft, modified it using the feedback of other Free The Vaccine participants, and then submitted it for review by Avram Finkelstein. Using Avram’s feedback, I then revised the poster again. I also added a QR code created by Fiona Davey.

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 had unlimited resources, I could imagine having giant posters installed all over university campuses. (We could modify the ask as needed, but continue using the concept of patents and public health/pandemics/coronavirus being a “bad match,” and continue using the pink/orange color scheme and flame symbol.)

Interpretive Statement

User Instructions

Print it and post it.

Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine

“Bridge The Gap” Postcard

Objective:

The goal of the postcard was to get the attention of Pittsburgh researchers (and some administration staff), in order to start a conversation/rally some support for the Open Covid Pledge. We all know how easy it is to ignore emails these days, and we thought the personalized design and hand-written messages would be a better way to get through to our targets.

The Project:

An XL, originally-designed postcard. One side has “Bridge The Gap” along with the Free The Vaccine logo printed at the top. Below there is a typical Pittsburgh bridge and the Cathedral of Learning building. On the bridge walks a researcher holding a syringe (presumably with a COVID vaccine inside). She is giving the vaccine to the public, who is displayed by a series of hands reaching up. The other side also has the FTV logo and says “Pittsburgh: Home of Vaccines for the People!” There is a a short blurb about the Salk legacy and the Open Covid Pledge, and then blank space for a hand-written message!

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Print some and send them. 

Make it specific to your community.

What worked?

Crafting the message on the back of the card was a helpful exercise. By forcing ourselves to condense our message into a short few sentences, we were able to see more clearly exactly why and what we want from our targets.

About this project
Creators:

June, 2020

Image/graphic, Print, Writing

United States, Pittsburgh

5.5 x 8.5 inches

Public Domain

Download Original/High-Resolution File: FTV-postcard-6-20-v2-1.pdf

Other Notes:

Links:

Reflections from Mahima Arya

What skills or perspectives did the collaborators bring to this?

Each of the collaborators brought a different set of skills to designing this postcard. Some of us are Pittsburgh locals, and knew how to best capture some of the classic features of the city. Some of us have experience in design, and helped with the graphics of the card. And some of us contributed to the text on the back of the card, to make sure we could quickly and effectively get our message across.

Push Uni. of Texas to Openly Share Their Research for COVID-19

Objective:

The objective behind the video was to raise awareness of UT’s role in the pandemic, to raise awareness of the petition, and to move university researchers to sign it.

The Project:

“Push the University of Texas to Openly Share Their Research for COVID-19” is the title of my video on YouTube. The video itself is a music parody of “What a Wonderful World It Would Be [if we freed the vaccine]”, targeting the University of Texas Pharmacy department and representatives from AskBio pharmaceuticals.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine

Make a version for your target.

What worked?

The quality of the video and audio (and singing!) wasn’t too shabby. I was very limited to my equipment and space (and singing capabilities), but I managed to produce the video very simply in one day. It could have been even simpler and it still would have been effective. Making a music parody was not as hard as I initially imagined. So, having just made it, whether or not it got the response I desired, was still a success in itself.

About this project
Creators:

June, 2020

Video

United States, Austin

1920×1080

Public Domain

Link to Original or High-Res file

Other Notes:

According to UT, “researchers are racing to develop innovations in fields like virology, immunology, epidemiology and medical engineering to support the fight against COVID-19” (giving.utexas.edu/covid-research/). They have already developed and licensed an innovative vaccine delivery method to AskBio pharmaceutical (hnews.utexas.edu/2020/03/04/new-delivery-method-could-transform-vaccine-distribution-to-remote-developing-areas/).

I believe UT should pledge to make their intellectual property available free of charge for use in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and minimizing the impact of the disease! So instead of just posting online about our petition for UT students/staff/professors and other members of the Austin community to sign urging UT to join other heroic companies and universities in making the Open Covid Pledge (opencovidpledge.org)… I thought instead that I would try to make an eye-catching video with the hopes of gaining more traction on social media.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition
  • The work can be reproduced on site with instructions (provided)

Reflections from Dannie Snyder

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?

I would love a team who could simply help me make social media posts on a regular basis, with targeting popular groups/individuals on social media who might be interested in sharing our video, and with taking other measures for making the video go viral. It would be cool to make the process of sharing the video more interactive, where students/staff/professors at UT in particular could be part of the fun and voice their own opinion rather than merely sharing/re-posting our video. It might mean remaking the video and getting students/staff/professors to lip-synch (see next reflection question).

If someone else were going to make/use/do something like this, what advice would you give them?

I had to unfortunately make this video on my own, but I believe it would be so much more effective if I had a team of people, videos showcasing different UT students/staff/professors lip-synching. For example, the #JoleneVaccineChallenge by another team with Free the Vaccine was very popular (they also made a parody using Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” song to target Vanderbilt University).

Gift Boxes for the Technical Transfer Office at the University of Texas

 

To target the Technical Transfer Office at the University of Texas, I decided to make a gift box. Representatives at the office were not responding to my emails or phone calls, so I decided to go with generous snail mail. The gift boxes I made included handmade masks with the Free the Vaccine logo on it and coffee cups with the University of Texas logo on them (except I changed their tagline from “What starts here changes the world” to “What starts here SAVES the world”. It also included beautiful flyer of the Open Covid Pledge, article from the World Health Organization advocating for the pledge, and an imaginary cover of TIME Magazine with UT Pharmacy’s faces (see images).

 
STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

Objective:

The main objective was to get representatives from the Technical Transfer Office at the University of Texas to respond to me, so that we can start a discussion about the Open Covid Pledge, on how to pledge making their research for COVID-19 free / available to all and how to make their therapeutics for COVID-19 sustainably priced. My tactic was to take a generous approach, to show that the Austin community deeply cares about their researchers’ efforts in ending the pandemic.

About this project
Creators:

June, 2020

Fabric, Image/graphic

United States, Austin

N/A

Public Domain

Download Original/High-Resolution File: IMG_6365-3.09.19-PM.jpg



What worked?

This was one of my first attempts to “craftivism,” as inspired by Sarah Corbett.

Other Notes:

  • 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 Dannie Snyder

What was the process/journey of creating this work?

As mentioned above, I watched Sarah Corbett’s TED Talk on “craftivism”. This really inspired me to make a gift box for my targets. I did not really personalize the crafts to the targets themselves, but will try this the next time. Meaning, I will do more research on the targets – their interests, hobbies, history, etc. – and incorporate these elements into the crafts.

What were some of the responses to this work?

Unfortunately, I still did not get a response from the Technical Transfer Office. I actually cannot even confirm if they received the packages. Hence why I am considering sending another gift box…

Massachusetts Postcard

Objective:

Raise awareness in Boston (home of many academic/pharma labs) that we should be concerned about access to Covid technologies and that Free The Vaccine exists!

The Project:

This work was inspired by Avram Finklestein’s lessons on poster creation. I wanted to create something that was succinct, eye-catching, and region specific. The font and donut messaging is a spoof on the Bostonian love for Dunkin Donuts. The “masshole” messaging was inspired by a political add which caught attention by using the phrase “we’re massholes, not assholes”.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Print some and send them.

Make it specific to your community.

What worked?

It connects with popular culture.

About this project
Creators:
  • Olivia Bonardi

June, 2020

Image/graphic

United States, Boston

346×500 png

Public Domain

Download Original/High-Resolution File: MassholesRecto.png, MasholesVerso-1.png

Other Notes:

This is a conceptual post card that hasn’t been printed and sent yet. We could write individualized messages and send to targets in the future.

    Original files can be provided for exhibition

If we’re in this together it’s time to free the vaccine

Objective:

Create language to support the larger goal of ensuring that publicly funded COVID meds are available to everyone, sustainably priced, and free at the point of delivery.

The Project:

This a slogan anyone can use in the campaign for a People’s Vaccine.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Put it on a poster.

Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine

What worked?

It builds on the phrase “in this together,” which was especially popular during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Borrowing familiar language connects our work to words and ideas on other people’s minds. It also offers a gentle critique by showing what being “in this together” really needs to look like.

About this project
Creators:
  • Free the Vaccine for COVID-19

May, 2020

Writing

,

11 words

Public Domain

You Wouldn’t Pay Twice

Objective:

This was a poster created to be used as a way to gain support for the Free the Vaccine campaign from the general public.

The Project:

This image is a red square poster. At the top in a darker red the words say “You wouldn’t pay for a hot dog twice…” The word twice is in a light pink for emphasis. Below those words is an image of a hot dog. Below the hot dog are more words in a dark red that say, “So why would you for a vaccine?” In the bottom right corner in a white cursive font is “#FreetheVaccine.”

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Share it on social media. #FreeTheVaccine #PeoplesVaccine

Make it specific to your community.

Make it a performance: ask people to pay twice for something.

What worked?

An early metaphor for the “paying twice” idea we hope to communicate.

About this project
Creators:
  • Emilie Seibert
  • Aly Bancroft

May, 2020

Image/graphic, Online/web thing

United States, Grand Rapids

Scaleable Vector Graphic

Public Domain

Other Notes:

The idea for this poster came from an idea that Aly Bancroft had in a Mentor meeting.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Emilie Seibert

Access Warrior Trading Cards

Objective:

Pressure the Researcher, or the University as a whole, to sign the Open Covid Pledge.

The Project:

Sports-style trading cards depicting University Researchers, customized with their photo, school colors, and achievements as stats listed on the back. The cards were sent to the researchers, as well as the President or Chancellor of their University, with yarn pom poms and a hand written note asking them to sign the Open Covid Pledge.

STRATEGIES:
TRY THIS:

Make a version for your target.

Invent a game to play with them.

What worked?

The cards were eye-catching but also easy to send by mail (as social distancing is still happening on campus).

About this project
Creators:

May, 2020

Image/graphic, Print

United States, Los Angeles

2.5″x3.5″

Public Domain

Other Notes:

We targeted UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and USC (University of Southern California) because there is a long-standing sports rivalry between the two universities, which are both in the city of Los Angeles.

  • Original files can be provided for exhibition

Reflections from Vivian Peng