Pedro Carvajal

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Pranks

Film

Documentary

Culture Jamming

Pedro Carvajal has made documentaries on East Village squatters, the Yanomami, and an AIDS patient (winning the Chicago International Film Festival's Silver Plaque award).

His latest documentary: POPaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English, an official selection at the 25th IFP Market Spotlight on Documentaries, chronicles the culture jamming and billboard liberation antics of pop-iconoclast Ron English. Ron first gained fame in 1982 by surreptitiously reworking billboards to critique American society, risking arrest in the process. English’s career has had a wide trajectory, incorporating neo-surrealist paintings, staged photographs, street art, and music. “POPaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English” covers the full range of his achievements, including his most recent works.

“Special K”, a gripping documentary about an AIDS patient found Mr. Carvajal chronicling Karen Sofield’s struggle with AIDS for a period of 3 years. One of Ms. Sofield’s primary concerns is the future welfare of her son while she lies chronically ill in bed with AIDS related complications. It is the last installment of a three part series dealing with AIDS and women.

His videos Citizen Art and Subvertising focus on culture jamming in public spaces, particularly billboard liberation, in which an outdoor ad is altered to critique the original company or product, or deliver a public service message. Citizen Art focuses on the antics of the billboard liberation collectives, Artfux and Cicada -- with whom Pedro collaborated in Jersey City and New York. This documentary was showcased on Thirteen/WNET Reel New York, and introduced by Laurie Anderson. Subvertising has additional grass roots footage, as well as commentary by sociologists and media critics.