|
      |
 |
AFWFA Manifesto 
|
|
AFWA Manifesto 1. All humans are artists. The words human and artist are the same. 2. Artistic expression is not limited to traditional settings of the gallery, theater or manuscript and can be applied to any activity in any field. 3. The success of an artist should not be measured by wealth or celebrity, but by the courage and conviction to challenge, explore and invent. 4. The artist defends freedom, expression and creativity by daily exercise. 5. At any given time, the artist may be entirely wrong. 6. Morality is not a governor of art and expression, nor is it a justification for censorship. 7. Robots can (or hold the potential to) perform most jobs better than humans. 8. Displacement by robots and computers in the workforce should be encouraged and developed to free humans from boring, repetitive jobs. 9. Advanced technology is a natural evolution of humankind and is only successful when it liberates, not enslaves, the human mind. 10. The purpose of humankind will be revealed by the limitations of the machines we build.
This is not my beautiful house Do you touch your keyboard more than your lover? Do you think about your job more than you think about the meaning of life? Do you consider fresh air, sleeping in or socializing a luxury? Artist For a Work Free America advocates that all people are artists and that mass creative expression is the key to a healthy culture. AFWFA celebrates personal freedom, pleasure and the pursuit of knowledge. It endorses the afternoon nap, a beer with lunch and strolling through parks. It does not segregate weekday from weekend, workday from vacation, or employment from retirement. This is not a slacker’s manifesto, but a recalibration of our personal identity and roles as artists. We believe that work is evil and we stand as a force against employment and the severe damage it inflicts. We are dedicated to protesting the perversities of the modern work force and strive towards reeducating the American people about what it means to be human and the liberties that encompass life. We strongly believe that work is bad for the body, the mind, and spirit, and that no economic system should force a man or woman into the workplace. Humans were placed on this planet to eat, drink, sleep, communicate, fornicate and of course, create art. We were not placed on this planet to be awakened by obnoxious alarm clocks, wear blood-restricting uniforms or idle in congested, polluted traffic. We were not put here to sit in offices under fluorescent lights, push buttons, talk on phones, and perform the tasks and chores that any reasonable technology could perform. Let a robot do it AFWFA strongly supports the replacement of the human workforce with one that is automated and computerized, and encourages government and the private sectors advance towards the very realistic goal of majority automation. Using computer and robotic technologies we currently posses, much of today’s work force could be displaced, thus freeing man from the economic and emotional slavery we now endure. We stand united to educate the American people and pressure the American government to support technological growth, and let machines carry the burdens of job repetition, boredom, danger and creative stagnation. AFWFA believes that all humans are artists. We are all painters and writers, musicians and actors, dancers and directors. Through social conditioning, we have been stripped of our natural desire to create and perform and programmed to believe that working is the road to a happy and meaningful life. But we must ask, what are we working towards? Who are we working for? Money is often the carrot in front of our eyes and our consumer culture dictates that we must work and consume in a vicious cycle. To break this cycle, we must learn to consume less and unearth the artist in all of us. Once the artist is revealed, our identity as a worker is forever changed. We believe that work is bad, that the reasons why people work are wrong, and that work dulls the mind and human spirit. Instead of work and consume our motto is play and create. It is a decision we have the right and power to choose. Ned Ludd was wrong Instead of fighting against the evolution of technology and job loss, AFWFA embraces the future and views it as an opportune time to not only stage a revolution against the modern work place, but encourage automation as the means by which we may retain leadership in global trade. Robots are a natural and more ethical solution to manufacturing mass-produced goods. Robots are more efficient, more accurate workers in a great diversity of roles, from automated sales to firefighting. Technological advancement has already absorbed a great portion of the American workforce and will continue to replace people with machines. It is cause for great celebration. The future promises a world with fewer jobs and even less job security. This is the hidden jewel of our human identity. By forfeiting our jobs to computers and robots, not only do we create a more productive, efficient and humane national economy, but we free ourselves from the indentured servitude our current system supports. Revising the American Dream Artists For a Work Free America believes that man is ill suited for work as defined by the twentieth century and that we will find our salvation through the aggressive application of computer and robotic technology. We exist to remind that life is beautiful and fleeting- that time spent in the office and on the assembly line is not refundable. We have neglected our senses, abandoned our search for truth, compromised our dreams and freedoms for false security, sold our free time for lots of stuff we do not need. Work has homogenized our dreams and imaginations, robbed us of time and energy- disguised itself as an unquestionable law instead of a choice. We have witnessed the evils of work and in perfect clarity rejected the notion that we must work to obtain the American Dream. But I can’t draw There are some things a machine will never do. A machine will never enjoy dancing with an attractive partner. A machine will never scribble down theirs dreams at two o’clock in the morning. A machine will never revolt or fight against injustice. What this current technological revolution is about to teach us is the limitations of our inventions and the functions of humankind that machines cannot rival. It is in this creative, inventive, emotional realm that defines us as unique and not simply some complex network of wetware. It is a great mirage of the businessman to segregate artists and “non-artists,” for creative expression holds commercial value only if a minority is able to harness it. To the person who says “I cannot draw” or “I cannot write” or “I cannot dance,” our response is you may not draw like Michelangelo, you may not write like Jane Austen or dance like Fred Astaire, but you can draw, you can write and you can dance. There is no place for perfect in art; there is no gold medal. The victory in art is in the honesty of the attempt, the completion of a difficult expression, the sheer attempt to raise your hand and share with the world your thoughts, dreams and fears. You can draw- it just looks different from everyone else. Is there “bad” art in the world? Of course there is, but it isn’t always what you think, and can be found in the most unsuspecting places. The time is now This organization is founded by and representative of all people who embrace individual freedom and refuse to live in a world built around work. We exist to explore and create, to love and communicate freely, to chart a future based upon liberty and discovery- not specialization and suppression. We have the power to choose and the power to revolt against all that we do not believe in or prescribe to. AFWFA represents this power and stands to present a new vision of how we may live- in a world better suited to our individual and collective growth, health and happiness. By recognizing the true role of humans, by shifting our priorities away from gross consumerism and greed, by welcoming the advance of technology, we can create a work free America. As William Blake once said, “I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans; I will not reason and compare: my business is to create.” We reject this current work-based society, challenge perverse systems that reward corporate slavery, and fight to reclaim the precious commodity called free time. Greg Lundgren
|
|
|
   |
UP & COMING PROJECTS & EXHIBITIONS ARBITRARY ART GRANTS AFWFA | PDL SHOP JOIN E-MAIL LIST ABOUT VITAL 5 CONTACT © 2009 VITAL 5 PRODUCTIONS
|