The news has been so whacky lately that people say you can't tell the parodies from the real thing. However, an artist, filmmaker, and guerrilla politico made a remarkably entertaining and effective work of art/protest last night -- as many many people know. Though the irreverent light show projected on the Trump Hotel lasted only around 10 minutes before security guards stopped it, it's been widely shared on social media.
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| From the L.A.Times: viral image of the light projection onto the Trump Hotel: "PAY TRUMP BRIBES HERE." |
From the article "Meet Robin Bell, the artist who projected protest messages onto Trump's D.C. hotel last night" --
"For a short period on Monday night, a large projection appeared on the facade of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., that read “Emoluments Welcome,” along with an animation of the flags of nations where President Trump has business projects.
"This was followed by a message that read “Pay Trump Bribes Here,” with an arrow that pointed to the front door of the hotel. Yet another featured an excerpt of the emoluments clause from the U.S. Constitution, which restricts members of the U.S. government from receiving gifts from foreign powers. (Trump is being sued by one watchdog group for potentially violating this clause.)" (L.A.Times, May 16, 2017)
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| Also from the L.A. Times article. |
“I was reading this thing about when you deal with authoritarian governments, you have to create your own story,” Robin Bell says, as quoted in the L.A.Times article. “If we’re reacting to these people all the time, they can just play us. So, part of the thing is making things that you can laugh at, that you can share, that aren’t just reacting to them.”
