It's time to go visiting: No visa required, appropriation of the British Airways billboards, removed after 11 hours, 2003 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susann Wintsch" Subject: Re: It's time to go visiting Dear Albert I find your explanation that it is only art was probably really shocking. This is what politicians or econmists are afraid of, they are afraid of art, because they are actually helpless to react without beeing ridicilous. Maybe the would like to do so, but it is in fact impossible to draw an artist to court; besides, they know that artists will always find a group of people who defend the right of beeing critical. So the weapon "it is only art" is really a strong one, it undergoes any subscribing. I admire the work. yours, susann Dear Susann, The reaction was strong but limited in the circles that read JAVA newspaper and that were able to see the banners with stickers on them.The stickers NO VISA REQUIRED were put on four (4) banners of British Airways(BA)campaign between 9.00 - 9.30 PM on July 2nd and were taken off by the company that owns the advertising space in the next morning sometime between 7.30 and 9.00 AM. The photo was published on the JAVA magazine, in the space called photo of the week, but was ignored by two main daily news papers. The editor of JAVA afterwards told me that he thought that it was a computer generated image, and not a real thing! He told me that if he knew what it really was he would not show it. The problem here is that the people are scared to say their opinion openly. When I say this I'm mostly thinking of new editors. They are very much dependent from the foreign donors, and afraid of their influence. Anyway, the BA immediately reacted as they saw the stickers and made a lot of pressure to the company that owns the space, and somehow after 11.30 AM on the July 3rd they realized who did it. I was called for a meeting by the company, and was warned that there will be consequences after what I did. One very interesting sentence that the owner used was "How can I explain that an intellectual like you did this!". I tried to explain that this is "only" an artwork, but it didn't work so much. On the 4th of July, as were presenting some art works to Rene Block (he was here visiting for an exhibition), a relative of Mehmet Behluli, who works in BA, made a disturbing phone call, and asked him if he new me and the editor of JAVA and explained that a lot of damage was done to the BA and that people are calling at BA and asking if it true that they can travel abroad and no visas are required. The editor of JAVA was also called by this guy from BA and warned about the consequences, and he advise me to be nice to these people when they call you! Now its quiet and I'm waiting for any new reactions. Yours, Albert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susann Wintsch" Subject: Re: It's time to go visiting Dear Albert Thank you! What a pity that it is too late to integrate it. congratulation. hov many posters were it? How was the reacition in the public? Iam curious. Yours, Susann +++ GMX - Mail, Messaging & more http://www.gmx.net +++ Jetzt ein- oder umsteigen und USB-Speicheruhr als Prämie sichern!