These are the first photos of my collaboration with the organizers of the World Social Forum in Mumbai India. Over 175 works of art were uploaded on to servers created by my colleague Jason Murphy, an artist living in south Korea and the co-director of the Retiform Web Site (www.retiform.net). The organizers downloaded these images and printed them on huge industrial advertising banner printers and displayed them during the Social Forum. The organizers came upon the Antiwar Poster and Multimedia show through one of the web sites maintained by my associates and me to showcase this and other art exhibitions in this new way. The exhibition was started through the web, moved to real spaces in three art galleries-

Macy Gallery, Teachers College,

Mumbai (Bombay) India was host to the World Social Forum in January 2004. The World Social Forum was intended to be a “people’s” answer to the World Economic Summit in Switzerland at the same time. The Forum was intended to show that there are alternatives to Capitalist interpretation of history and world events. The Forum was open and non doctrinaire in interpreting events through any ideology or party. During the World Social Forum, the most outraged opponents and most disruptive elements were the Maoist and traditional Communist Parties of India, who seemed to resent this new left movement. The social forum Movement does not support armed revolution, is non- hierarchical, and supports the rights Of women, children, indigenous peoples. The Forum defends the rights of all individuals to think and act for themselves.

There were 68,000 delegates and over 150,000 visitors To the week long events in Mumbai. By looking at the photos, which were taken in the Majlis Cultural Center, one of the largest centers of it’s kind in India, we can see that the banners were hung both horizontally and vertically in the huge central atrium. The banners on cloth were printed approximately 8’ wide and in variable lengths, up to 40’ long. The posters were also printed on paper – small 3X4’, and large 5X20’. Some of the pieces were hung outside and in other parts of the Forum, which took place in many parts of Mumbai The photos show that art has an important role as a focal point of examining, explicating disseminating , issues. The whole event was like a great fair, with workshops , ad hoc discussions, performances, demonstrations and conversation. The participants spoke many languages and images were a way of conveying information in such a large and polyglot affair. The theme for the event was “Another World is Possible” The work is still being shown in exhibitions throughout India for the next two months
Videos as well as image files were sent via the server in South Korea. Several Projectors were set up by the organizers and continuous videos were projected during the length of the conference. These are only the first photographs of the pieces, and we hope to receive more in due time.
I am hoping to bring the banners to the United States for exhibition. Assistance and funding would be appreciated
Frank Shifreen
Sites
www.retiform.net
www.thedigitalmuseum.org
www.drinkink.org


Thanks to Dr. Graeme Sullivan, Dr John Broughton, Hugo Ortega , Mark Grimm and the Art Education Program at Teachers College. Abe Lubelski of NY Arts Magazine and 450 Broadway Gallery, Ann Stoddard of the E.H Stone Gallery at Presbyterian College, Clinton S.C. Jason Murphy –Webmaster of the Retiform site, David Channon Webmaster of the digitalmuseum site, Mamta Murthy and the Organizing Committee of Mumbai 04

I wish to thank the participating artists for their work. If your name is not on this list and you belong here, please contact me and I will correct the list F.S.

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