Mr. P does not want to be a dinosaur any more.
Munich, 9th of August 2013 – Munich Kiev Queer will protest against Vladimir Putin’s homophobic laws during the Gay Street Festival in Munich (Hans-Sachs-Straßenfest) on the 17th of August and in front of the Russian General Consulate on the 8th of September. With kind of a transformation machine, the activists want to make the President of Russia a better man – just by playing. The rules are simple: You win if you place five objects with good wishes into Putin’s empty head.
The man is made of paper and already popular in Munich. For Munich Pride, the artist Naomi Lawrence created her “Putin in a tank”, behind him a coffin with “Human Rights”. The tank was made of cardboard and already is in its litter box now. Mr. P. instead celebrates his recycling at the Hans-Sachs-Straßenfest when Munich’s Gay Community Center Sub celebrates its birthday. Also, the paper man will show up during the global Kiss-In on the 8th of September as part of the campaign “To Russia with love” in front of the Russian Consulate in Munich. This day, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender all over the world will demonstrate against Putin’s homophobic politics.
Put-In during Kiss-In
From fatuity to wisdom, from hate to love.
So Naomi Lawrence has crafted from the doll’s head a transformation machine. “Put-In-Transformation” is it called, in reference to Putin’s last name, and this machine should be an incentive for visitors of the Street Festival to play and to learn more about the difficult Human Rights’ situation in Russia. In Russia, the Parliament passed a law against so called gay propaganda that prevents any positive information about homosexuality. Since then attacks against LGBT-people rise up more often.
So how does it work? On the information desk you will find, on 17th of August , five objects with five good wishes and you have to throw them into Putin’s empty head.
For example, there is a pink sponge in brain shape that absorbs everything. Who throws it and hits, will help transforming Putin’s fatuity into wisdom. Who throws a Smiley helps changing brutality into kindness. A slimy symbolizes modesty against greed. A small globe stands for faith against bigotry and a pink heart can creative love instead of hate. In the end Putin may become a good man. Who believes in it?
Vladimir Putin – a dying species?
The tank does not exist any more. No recycling for weapons.
Mr. P will also play his role on the 8th of September. From 3 p.m. gays, lesbians and transgender demonstrate in front of the embassies and consulates of Russia all over the world to draw attention to the increasingly desolate Human Rights situation in the country, so do we. The group wants to organize a flash mob with rainbow-coloured balloons.
“Our five objects are indeed charged fairly positive,” says Naomi Lawrence. “It is important that the participant who wants to throw a wish-object really feels his personal wish. Therefore, the heart might be the most difficult projectile. It says ‘I love you’“, says the artist laughing. Tests have shown that it is not so easy to win. “The chance to make all five objects a goal is rather small,” Lawrence observes. So no more chance for Mr. P.? Of course, dinosaurs do not exist any more, instead human beings have colonized our planet. We may help Mr. P to become one of us.
