‘Act of Parliament’ by Shift//Delete
Artist statement:
“The Gherkin’ building stands on London’s skyline as a symbol of financial power in the UK. Located inside a corporate tax haven known as ‘the Square Mile’, with its own special laws, hundreds of billions of pounds flow through it tax free whilst the rest of us suffer an age of austerity. Parliament has given these bankers nearly £500 billion pounds of public money due to the financial crisis and right now the same bankers enjoy £14 billion worth of bonuses a year for their actions. Parliament does nothing to challenge the bankers. Parliament has been captured – and seeks to constantly gratify the City of London whilst the rest of us have austerity imposed on us.”
“In response to this reality, we have turned the Gherkin into the worlds tallest dick – a 180m high erection for deregulation and global capitalism. We have created this art work for all those that are suffering cuts to budgets, public services, benefits, rights, libraries, freedoms and quality of life as Parliament perpetuates the age old practice of taxing the poor for the mistakes of the rich.”
“If art is a lie that makes us realise truth – it is clear that we need to create alternatives to the conventional wisdoms. In this current time we can no longer ignore the effects of unrestricted greed, consumption and the fetishisation of profit and money. We are calling for other artists to work with us and collaborate within the streets of the UK.”
