Glass Bead Collective ::: Revolution For Your Mind

GBC has produced two feature documentaries since 2004 - Watch This! (2004) and Terrorizing Dissent (2008) Both dealt with suppresion of protests during the Republican National Conventions in New York and St Paul, Minnesota, and were edited and released within weeks of the depicited events taking place. These films involved dozens of people from all over the country and were case studies in using common peoples resources to actively engage and define the ongoing narrative that was being manipulated by the mainstream media.

In addition GBC has been involved in a number of culture jamming and citizen media projects, producing short and super-short viral pieces aimed at bringing awareness of issues of police brutality, suppression civil rights and direct democracy.

Anarchists Liberate the Deflating World (2009)

A film created for a three screen immersive installation. No Borders protest in Copenhagen during COP15 United Nations Climate conference results in demonstrators liberating a huge advertising globe set up in front of the house of parliament by the danish energy company

Democracy 101 - Police Occupation of University of Pittsburgh during G20 Summit in September 2009

Made in Pittsburgh within five days of the G20 summit by a team from Pittsburgh Indymedia, Twin Cities Indymedia, Glassbead Collective, and Mobile Broadcast News, a new documentary: "Democracy 101 (Rough Cut)". Democracy 101 is a look at the policing and pattern of issues that arise during National Special Security Events. Made with footage from the recent repression of dissent in Pittsburgh, salvaged from the broken cameras, stolen video and arrested reporters, and independent journalists from around the country.

Vota Nulo - Guerilla Media Political Campaign (May 09- July 09)

Recently the efforts of the collective focused on exporting the methods and tactics developed by the collective over the last seven years to people fighting for global justice throught the world. Right now we are working on developing citizen media capablities throught Latin America, with Mexico's Voto Nulo movement being the first test case of existing methodology. The Anular Movement spang up in Mexico during the election season with an idea to reject the current status quo of highly corrupt established political parties having a monopoly on electoral power in the country. The main point of the campaing was to convince voters to go to the polliing boots and cross out all the candates presented by the state. Around 2mm people or almost 10% of the voters anulated their votes.

Bellow is a playlist of viral videos released during the 2009 Mexican Election Season and feature various Guerilla Media techniques employed.

NYC Critical Mass March 2009 - Police Harassment Continues

Immersive short shot with 180 degree lens that takes the viewer along on the critical mass ride.
Critical Mass is a leaderless bike ride that takes place in 100s of cities all over the world on the last friday of every month.
New York Police has had a very confrontational relationship with the ride dispatching hundreds of police officers to stop the ride and arrest the participants, deploying helicopters, blimps and undercover officers with video cameras to monitor the ride and engaging in violent take down of the cyclists.

After a GBC co-produced viral youtube video showing one of these attacks surfaced in july of 2008, the following scandal forced the police to retreat from their more violent tactics. Since then no one got arrested during the ride but the police are giving out tickets to cyclysts who dont have lights or bells on their bikes.
This selective targeting is currently being challenged in federal court in 5 borough bike club vs NYC http://www.5bbc.org/parade

Terrorizing Dissent - Election Cut

Shot and rush edited in two months, this two hour feature is an expos� of events at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.Featuring first-person accounts and footage from more than forty cameras on the streets, 'Terrorizing Dissent' focuses on the story of dissent suppressed. People charged with "conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism" speak out against the government's campaign to manipulate media coverage and label civil disobedience and community organizing as terrorism.

This is an early cut that was rushed for the 2008 election and functions as a document of what happened. A lot of the footage seen here will not be included in the final cut, and the narrative structrure of the final film will be different. The people behind this project thought was very important for the people to see what actually happened in St Paul this past september before they vote.

You can watch the film as well as dowload it as a dvd image or projection quality quicktime at the film website http://www.TerrorizingDissent.org

Terrorizing Dissent Play List (Trailer, Followed by Film, Followed by some viral videos released during and right after the RNC)

Pandamonium 2008 Police Attacks on bystanders

A roving street party in williamsburg turns into chaos when Police Task Force gets called in and starts attacking bystanders on the street

Critical Mass Bicyclist Assaulted by NYPD (2008)

A viral video that showed NYPD officer Pogan attacking and tackling a NYC Critical Mass participant as the ride passed through times square. The scandal that followed the release of this video forced NYPD to back away from violent suppression of the monthly ride and resort to consistent over-ticketing.

On April 19th 2007 a group of more than 50 people assembled in front of city hall to protest the new parade permit rules imposed by the New York City Police Department which make any unpermited assembly by more than 50 people illegal and makes anyone in the assembled group subject to arrest. The police beat up and arrested three demonstrators.

A 17 minute Documentary about the March 2007 NYC Critical Mass. Shot with more than 30 cameras the film follows the first critical mass bike flash mob held under the new NYC parade permit rules that prohibits citizens from assembling in groups of more than 50 people without getting previous authorizion from the police department.

The web page for the film is here. This film shoud be watched in very high quality and in full screen due to the fact that split screen/split perception effects are used throughout the piece and it is very hard to understand what is going on when watched on a small screen and with a lot of artifacts. You will find links to high quality downloads of the movie on the film page.

A Documentary about anti police brutality protests in NYC that followed the murder of Sean Bell by NYPD the morning of his wedding.

Part one focuses on the march on December 16, 2006 and gives some context through interviews of people on the street. The second part of the film deals with the march on wall street on december 22, 2006. This part was partially shot with immersive 360 degree camera and focuses on police surveliance of demonstrators at the march.
You can download the full film by clicking here (275mb download)

Brad Wills Vigil
an immersive depiction of vigil for Brad Will - an IndyMedia Journalist killed by Mexican security forces in Oaxaca on October 27th, 2006.

Our Country
An eight minute collage of the Anti-War Protest in Washington DC from September 24th to September 26th, 2005. Created as part of "Blacked-out Media" show produced by New York Indymedia. Screened on Free Speech TV in October 2005

Mandate?
A half-hour documentary by Indymedia Video and the Glass Bead Collective, focuses on resistance at the January 20th inauguration of George W. Bush. The film presents the issues behind the re-election of Bush and the reaction from protestors to the most expensive inauguration in US history.

Watch This!
A free one-hour documentary, Watch This! is a multi-perspective meditation on the nature of political and creative dissent and the government's response in a post 9-11world.

Part 2: March for Justice

stop shopping day flashmob
A short piece about a FlashMob on November 28th, 2003 in front of K-Mart at Astor Place in NYC.