Damaging art for the sake of the climate ?

[Sirona]

In various European countries, climate activists stick themselves to classical paintings with superglue and/or throw liquid food at the pictures. According to the news, the paintings allegedly remain intact because they are mostly displayed under glass. Climate activists justify their acts with the intention to draw attention to the problem of global warming. Do you consider this an acceptable form of protest?

Climate activists face 12,000 euros in damages to Raphael's Sistine Madonna

Climate Protester Glues His Head to ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ Painting

 

[PureX]

That's quite a silly stunt.

 

[ChristineM]

It's a stupid stunt designed to grab attention.

 

[Estro Felino]

The fact that they aim at destroying such beautiful works of art, suggests me that climate has nothing to do with it.
Because Greta Thunberg has never done such a thing.
They are probably using climate change (which is a topic I consider sensible and important) to express their discontent with the things that make European Civilization what it is.

John Keats used to say Beauty is Truth and Truth is Beauty.
Are they for the Truth? I doubt it.

 

[Yerda]

According to the news, the paintings allegedly remain intact because they are mostly displayed under glass.

This seems to be a relevant point here. Throwing tomato soup on a bit of glass isn't the same as destroying a work of art no matter how often people repeat it.

I can understand why people might be baffled by these protests but there must be some collective hysteria going on because I keep reading that the art isn't being damaged but then people keep clutching their pearls at the priceless art being "destroyed". Am I in thw Twilight Zone?

 

[Subduction Zone]

The fact that they aim at destroying such beautiful works of art, suggests me that climate has nothing to do with it.
Because Greta Thunberg has never done such a thing.
They are probably using climate change (which is a topic I consider sensible and important) to express their discontent with the things that make European Civilization what it is.

John Keats used to say Beauty is Truth and Truth is Beauty.
Are they for the Truth? I doubt it.

Except that they don't aim to destroy the art. They know that their silly little tricks will not harm the art.

They get to post and look very serious when they are merely acting like overgrown children. They are not going to change the minds of those that don't care about AGW, and they will drive away some rational thinking people that would have otherwise helped the cause.

They are pointless stunts that only harm the movement of trying to battle AGW. With "friends" like these who needs enemies?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

This seems to be a relevant point here. Throwing tomato soup on a bit of glass isn't the same as destroying a work of art no matter how often people repeat it.

It is more than relevant. It is central, and it is important to note that both the thread's title and the poll question are significantly misleading.

Non-violently and non-destructively screaming "Wake up, damn it!" may very well be appropriate.

The only problem that I see with the current tactic is that it lends itself to the type of misrepresentation that we see here (whether or not the distortion is intentional), and the right wing will delight in capitalizing on this fact. Unfortunately, some streams within the often evidence more passion than sense.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

They get to post and look very serious when they are merely acting like overgrown children.

Just curious: is that your view of folks (like myself) who participated in the Civil Rights sit-ins?

 

[Mock Turtle]

I can't answer the poll, as for many others no doubt, given that 'art' is rarely at risk and I just don't know whether such actions do have any impact, and the right impact especially.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Just curious: is that your view of folks (like myself) who participated in the Civil Rights sit-ins?

Probably not. Are you pretending to damage things for publicity when you know that you won't do any harm? Do you mug for the camera when the press shows up?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Probably not. Are you pretending to damage things for publicity when you know that you won't do any harm? Do you mug for the camera when the press shows up?

They are attempting to call attention to what may be an existential threat and you denigrate them because they "mug for the camera," And you call them childish.

 

[Subduction Zone]

They are attempting to call attention to what may be an existential threat and you denigrate them because they "mug for the camera," And you call them childish.

There are ways to get the attention of others. Some methods are productive. Some methods are counterproductive. This is the latter.

 

[Heyo]

Except that they don't aim to destroy the art. They know that their silly little tricks will not harm the art.

They get to post and look very serious when they are merely acting like overgrown children. They are not going to change the minds of those that don't care about AGW, and they will drive away some rational thinking people that would have otherwise helped the cause.

They are pointless stunts that only harm the movement of trying to battle AGW. With "friends" like these who needs enemies?

I'm not so sure. It seems stupid to us but we already know about AGW. You know that "there is no such thing as bad publicity"?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

There are ways to get the attention of others. Some methods are productive. Some methods are counterproductive. This is the latter.

As is castigating them as childish presumably because you don't think people should "mug for the camera."

 

[Yerda]

It's a stupid stunt designed to grab attention.

It is definitely to grab attention. The ones I've heard speak have said that it isn't about being liked or popular - they managed to get the words Just Stop Oil into the heads of hundreds of millions of people in the past couple of weeks. Which isn't that stupid if you think about it.

Every honest person who has publicly said they agree with the cause but think the tactics misguided now has to deal with the fact that if they really agree with the cause they have to do something. There's a phenomenon called the radical flank effect that is now getting a lot of attention.

There's also something extremely provocative about creating outrage in people regarding our collective heritage - the beautiful things left for our collective enrichment. Isn't the natural world an extraordinary masterpiece being irreparably damaged?

 

[Subduction Zone]

As is castigating them as childish presumably because you don't think people should "mug for the camera."

Perhaps. But it is what they do.

I do support civil disobedience, but there should be some sort of punishment. A person that protests knowing that he will be punished is much more believable.

 

[DharmaCatLamp]

I'll be honest in saying I couldn't care much less about this art piece but this was a group sponsored by the Getty heiress which makes me wonder if the stunt was made to make environmental activists look silly. I have my suspicions about the motivation behind stuff like this.

Getty oil fortune heiress helped fund climate activists who have targeted artworks and museums

 

[Subduction Zone]

It is definitely to grab attention. The ones I've heard speak have said that it isn't about being liked or popular - they managed to get the words Just Stop Oil into the heads of hundreds of millions of people in the past couple of weeks. Which isn't that stupid if you think about it.

Every honest person who has publicly said they agree with the cause but think the tactics misguided now has to deal with the fact that if they really agree with the cause they have to do something. There's a phenomenon called the radical flank effect that is now getting a lot of attention.

There's also something extremely provocative about creating outrage in people regarding our collective heritage - the beautiful things left for our collective enrichment. Isn't the natural world an extraordinary masterpiece being irreparably damaged?

The problem is that Just Stop"ping is impossible. And when one demands all or nothing and all is not possible one often gets nothing.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Perhaps. But it is what they do.

I do support civil disobedience, but there should be some sort of punishment. A person that protests knowing that he will be punished is much more believable.

You keep wishing to deflect our discussion. It has absolutely nothing to do with the question of punishment* and everything to do with your ad hominem attack on protesters "merely acting like overgrown children."

*FWIW: when arrested I/we entered a plea of nolo contendere.

 

[sayak83]

In various European countries, climate activists stick themselves to classical paintings with superglue and/or throw liquid food at the pictures. According to the news, the paintings allegedly remain intact because they are mostly displayed under glass. Climate activists justify their acts with the intention to draw attention to the problem of global warming. Do you consider this an acceptable form of protest?

Climate activists face 12,000 euros in damages to Raphael's Sistine Madonna

Climate Protester Glues His Head to ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ Painting

They should be jailed for attempted vandalism.