Abstract
The 2012 performance of Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, their subsequent release of an extended and edited video, and their ultimate arrest for committing “hooliganism” generated a large amount of interest both within Russia and on an international scale. While Western accounts and analyses were marked by their tendency to frame the political content, Russian responses were framed by references to tradition and history. Significantly, there was disagreement amongst the latter with regard to the activist value of Pussy Riot. I argue that this ambiguity arises from a profound socio-spatial anxiety that was triggered by the Pussy Riot performances but was never examined. At the core of the anxiety lies a discomfort with the implications of Pussy Riot’s spatial transgressions because the techniques used to engage in activism ultimately invoked regimes of vision and technology to exert power over the public that implicitly resembles surveillance techniques used by the very object of criticism, the Russian regime.
Highlights
IntroductionPussy Riot’s Punk Prayer (Tayler, 2012) Virgin birth giver of God, drive away Putin Drive away Putin, drive away Putin Black frock, golden epaulettes Parishioners crawl bowing Freedom’s ghost [has gone to] heaven A gay pride parade [has been] sent to Siberia in shackles Their chief saint is the head of the KGB He leads a convoy of protestors to jail So as not to insult the Holiest One Woman should bear children and love Shit, shit, the Lord’s shit, shit, shit, the Lord’s shit Virgin birth giver of God, become a feminist Become a feminist, become a feminist The Church praises rotten leaders The march of the cross consists of black limousines A preacher is on his way to your school Go to class and give him money Patriarch Gundyay believes in Putin Would be better, the bastard, if he believed in God The Virgin’s belt won’t replace political gatherings The eternal Virgin Mary is with us in our protests Virgin birth Giver of God, drive away Putin Drive away Putin, drive away PutinThe performance of Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer” on February 21, 2012 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, their subsequent release of an extended and edited twominute video and montage, and their ultimate arrest and trial for committing the offense of hooliganism generated a large amount of interest both within Russia and on an international scale
The performance of Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer” on February 21, 2012 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, their subsequent release of an extended and edited twominute video and montage, and their ultimate arrest and trial for committing the offense of hooliganism generated a large amount of interest both within Russia and on an international scale
Interviews were structured very informally, and started with the question: “Why do you watch music videos online?” and “What attracts you to specific videos?” If these questions did not lead to the subject of activism and protest movements, I asked if they liked videos with a secondary message and eventually brought up the topic of the “Punk Prayer” video
Summary
Pussy Riot’s Punk Prayer (Tayler, 2012) Virgin birth giver of God, drive away Putin Drive away Putin, drive away Putin Black frock, golden epaulettes Parishioners crawl bowing Freedom’s ghost [has gone to] heaven A gay pride parade [has been] sent to Siberia in shackles Their chief saint is the head of the KGB He leads a convoy of protestors to jail So as not to insult the Holiest One Woman should bear children and love Shit, shit, the Lord’s shit, shit, shit, the Lord’s shit Virgin birth giver of God, become a feminist Become a feminist, become a feminist The Church praises rotten leaders The march of the cross consists of black limousines A preacher is on his way to your school Go to class and give him money Patriarch Gundyay believes in Putin Would be better, the bastard, if he believed in God The Virgin’s belt won’t replace political gatherings The eternal Virgin Mary is with us in our protests Virgin birth Giver of God, drive away Putin Drive away Putin, drive away PutinThe performance of Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer” on February 21, 2012 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, their subsequent release of an extended and edited twominute video and montage, and their ultimate arrest and trial for committing the offense of hooliganism generated a large amount of interest both within Russia and on an international scale. Since Pussy Riot was charged and found guilty as a result of their activism, they were hailed as martyrs who sacrificed their personal lives for altruistic political purposes. This perspective is still regnant three years after the members of the group were tried, served their sentences, and were eventually released. Just recently, they have been feted in the United States by the likes of Madonna, Stephen Colbert, Amnesty International, http://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu/vol2015/iss1/7
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