Outrages protester act

Mark McGowan is a UK-based performance artist currently working at the Camberwell College of Arts. He grew up in Peckham, on the North Peckham Estate, and has a degree in Fine Art from Camberwell College of Art, and an MA from Goldsmiths College. But neither his artistic skill nor his academics that caught the media's attention. He entered the news a number of times for his unconventional approach to public protest and demonstration. Listed are his history of performing outrages art and protests.

MONKEY NUT (2003)
Mark pushed a monkey nut along the road for 7 miles with his nose, starting at Goldsmiths College in South London and ending at Number 10 Downing Street where he handed his nut in, he was protesting against student fees.

YOU TURKEY (2003)
Mark walked backwards for 11miles with a 27lb turkey on top of his head shouting at fat people along the way through a homemade loud hailer, it was a piece about the obesity pandemic.




SAUSAGE CHIPS AND BEANS (2003)
Mark sat in a bath of beans with two chips stuck up his nose and 48 sausages strapped to his head for two weeks, he was advocating the consumption of the much maligned Great British breakfast.

OCEAN WAVE II (2003/4)
On December 28th 2003 Mark set out from Peckham in South East London and attempted to sail 400 miles to Glasgow in Scotland in a shopping trolley, along the way he collected gifts from English people intending to hand them out to the people of Scotland as a reconciliation for the William Wallace thing. He failed in his attempt after 17 days and 65 miles, due to bad weather conditions and poor equipment.

ARTIST KEYS CARS (2004)
In another controversial performance, Mark wandered the streets of Glasgow and South East London randomly keying cars, a practice involving the scratching of cars using a key. The performance/event was for a show called Glasgow International and was featured on several news programmes. But the London performance artist has since admitted the cars were already "keyed" and the photos were "staged".

AUTUMN LEAVES PROTEST (2005)
Mark nailed his feet to the gallery wall protesting against autumn leaves.



100,00 KISSES FOR TONY BLAIR (2005)
On Election Day, May 5th 2005, Mark successfully kissed an A4 color laminated photograph of Tony Blair 100, 000 times, the performance took place outside 10 Downing Street. He said that he was unsure at the beginning where to kiss the Prime Minister, on the forehead would be like kissing a baby, on the cheek would be like kissing my mum and on the lips just seemed gay. In the end he kissed him on the lips saying I’m not gay, Tony's not gay and everyone knows that. After 100,000 kisses things did get a bit weird towards the end.

EARLESS (2005)
Mark pulled a television along the road with his ear for six miles from Milan central train station to Silvio Burlesconi's house, protesting against politicians control of the media.





PEGGING (2005)
The intention was to attach 17,200 multi colored clothes pegs onto an alcoholic called Barry. In the end the alcoholics pegged Mark, but they got bored quite quickly and some friends pegged Mark instead, only managing 4,500.

RUNNING TAP (2005)
In an extraordinary protest against private control of water in the UK, He turned on a cold water tap in the House Gallery in Camberwell, London and planned to leave it running for one year, wasting 15 million liters of water. Due to the intervention of Thames Water, he had to turn it off again after one month. McGowan said, ‘Basically it was an art piece for people to come and look at and enjoy aesthetically, it was also a comment on a social and environment issue.'

A CANTERBURY TALE (2005/6)
Mark McGowan crawled on his hands and knees from London bridge to Canterbury with a rose clenched between his teeth 18 boxes of chocolates tied around his wrists and ankles and a triangular sign on his back saying could you love me. Mark McGowan started from London Bridge on the 26th December 2005 and finished at Canterbury Cathedral on 6th January 2006.

DEAD SOLDIER (2006)
The artist Mark McGowan dressed up in British army camouflage fatigues, with commando boots wearing a red beret, he then lay down in New Street, in Birmingham City Centre, curled up in a ball for one week. The performance was called Dead Soldier 2006 and was neither anti-war nor pro-military, put an artistic comment on current times.

ARTIST EATS SWAN (2007)
Mark McGowan ate a swan in a protest against the monarchy, the rich and the upper classes, outside the Guy Hilton Gallery in East London.


KICK GEORGE BUSH IN THE ASS (2007)
Crawling on his hands and knees Mark McGowan wandered the streets of New York with a George Bush mask on and a sign on his posterior saying 'KICK MY ASS'.


ARTIST EATS A CORGI (2007)
Mark ate a small corgi dog in a protest against the RSPCA's inability to prosecute Prince Phillip over the beating to death and shooting of a fox. The event happened live on the Bob and Roberta Smith radio show on Resonance FM.


ARTIST TO SET FIRE TO HIMSELF (5th November 2007)
In an extra ordinary art performance anti war protestor, Mark McGowan intended to set fire to himself in Parliament Square outside the Houses of Parliament which is Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes night in the UK, at 6pm in a protest against the war in Iraq. The event is part of an exhibition by Andy Hunt, the curater at the Chelsea Space which is part of Chelsea College of Art and opens on Tuesday 6th November. This event never took place as when he arrived there was a massive riot police presence, armed with fire extinguishers. They gave him warning earlier that he'll be arrested if he would to continue on with his act.

Source : markmcgowan.org

Tags : Mark McGowan monkey nut you turkey, sausage chips and beans Ocean wave Artist keys car Autumn leaves protest 100,000 kisses for Tony Blair earless pegging running tap a canterbury tale dead soldier artist eats swan kick George Bush in the ass artist eats a Corgi Artist to set fire to himself

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