1978

Performance
Materials:

Collection: M HKA archives.

In 1978, Today’s Place organised a ‘direct action’ at the entrance to banks on the Meir in Antwerp. The participants disguised themselves in formal suits and briefcases and posed as bankers begging in front of the buildings. The goal was to intervene in social processes in order to influence the perception of reality and existing patterns of thought and behaviour. The term ‘direct action’ refers to a series of practices in which individuals or groups directly apply their own strength to achieving certain goals or drawing attention to certain situations, in contrast to the reliance on indirect methods of engagement, such as voting or lobbying. Direct action can take various forms, from civil disobedience to sit-ins, conscientious objection and boycotts. This form of protest was part of a tendency in the 1960s and 70s in which the New Left, along with the countercultures, were increasingly distancing themselves from traditional methods of protest to challenge the values of liberalism. In the context of Today’s Place, direct action was understood as a form of non-violent, creative resistance, an understanding that was partly inspired by anarchist theories. The disruption of daily routines was a tangible way to question the status quo critically, as well as being an attempt to activate this critical stance in others. Moreover, this approach — and its public aspect in particular — was a way to oppose the traditional circuit of the art world and to operate outside it.