The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media

Introduction When a snap general election was called in the United Kingdom in 2017, Cornelia Parker, one of that nation’s most prominent and celebrated contemporary artists dealing often in war and conflict, was appointed as the official British election artist. The 2017 election followed less th...

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Main Author: Messham-Muir, Kit
Format: Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88276
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author Messham-Muir, Kit
author_facet Messham-Muir, Kit
author_sort Messham-Muir, Kit
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Introduction When a snap general election was called in the United Kingdom in 2017, Cornelia Parker, one of that nation’s most prominent and celebrated contemporary artists dealing often in war and conflict, was appointed as the official British election artist. The 2017 election followed less than a year after the 2016 Brexit referendum, as the Conservative government, committed to making good on the outcome of the 2016 referendum, hoped to have elected more pro-Brexit MPs into the House of Commons in an attempt to push through Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal with the European Union. The plan backfired, forcing May into leading a minority government, the second in a decade. This further prolonged and intensified the political turbulence and eventually led to May’s tearful resignation in 2019 and yet another general election later that year, called by the new prime minister, Boris Johnson. The 2016 Brexit referendum is commonly recognised as one of the most fierce and toxic votes in modern British history. Its campaigns were marked by widespread and blatant disinformation, overt ethno-nationalist politics, and the violent assassination of the pro-Remain MP Jo Cox.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-882762023-07-20T02:44:38Z The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media Messham-Muir, Kit 1901 - Art Theory and Criticism Introduction When a snap general election was called in the United Kingdom in 2017, Cornelia Parker, one of that nation’s most prominent and celebrated contemporary artists dealing often in war and conflict, was appointed as the official British election artist. The 2017 election followed less than a year after the 2016 Brexit referendum, as the Conservative government, committed to making good on the outcome of the 2016 referendum, hoped to have elected more pro-Brexit MPs into the House of Commons in an attempt to push through Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal with the European Union. The plan backfired, forcing May into leading a minority government, the second in a decade. This further prolonged and intensified the political turbulence and eventually led to May’s tearful resignation in 2019 and yet another general election later that year, called by the new prime minister, Boris Johnson. The 2016 Brexit referendum is commonly recognised as one of the most fierce and toxic votes in modern British history. Its campaigns were marked by widespread and blatant disinformation, overt ethno-nationalist politics, and the violent assassination of the pro-Remain MP Jo Cox. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88276 10.1080/14434318.2021.1992720 Taylor & Francis fulltext
spellingShingle 1901 - Art Theory and Criticism
Messham-Muir, Kit
The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media
title The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media
title_full The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media
title_fullStr The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media
title_full_unstemmed The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media
title_short The war itself: Cornelia Parker’s official Election Art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media
title_sort war itself: cornelia parker’s official election art, post-2016 democracy and the weaponisation of social media
topic 1901 - Art Theory and Criticism
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88276