LAUNCH PARTY

The official Sim Sweatshop launch party took place on 13th Sept 2006 at MUSE Bar, Nottingham, UK.
images will be added here in the near future

 

Launch speech given by Jonny Norridge

Welcome. Thank you for coming tonight.
This launch is the culmination of many months of work. Discussions for this project where originally started between NOW and myself last year, when Mark and Ali approached me to do a web based art commission. As the conversation continued, Ali suggested I consider exploring a social justice issue. ART and SOCIAL JUSTICE  — two of the big themes in my life — and I got to do it as work — it was like heaven hit earth.

So a 'BIG THANKS' to Mark, Ali and Faith at NOW for giving me this opportunity, it's been great working with you; its so good to have organizations like NOW that are supporting local artists.

Also, I would like to say a big thank you to Gavin Courtney for weaving his database and PHP magic and, thank you to Meg, for all your support.

The result of the NOW commission and months of work is this...
SIM SWEATSHOP.COM - a game where you get to enter the the life of a factory worker in El Salvador.

In a world where we can 'amuse ourselves to death',
SIM SWEATSHOP diverts our attention to the workers striving to live.

In a culture where 'we know the price of everything and the value of nothing',
SIM SWEATSHOP invites us to consider the real cost of our products.

Of course the issues are complex and the answers don't come easy. And this game exposes the problem rather than offering quick solutions,
but this is where we must start. Like films which reveal the absurdity the global arms trade and make a clown of fast-food restaurants, SIM SWEATSHOP follows in a tradition of mocking the powers of global injustice, in the hope that they will flee from us. Just as it is in the playground, the bully is disarmed when he is made a laughing stock.

Like a joke thats "funny-but-true" SIM SWEATSHOP casts light on the bigger picture: the system is loaded against those who are already down-trodden.

As consumers (and artists) we only have so much power, and we play a small part. But, if we choose to face these issues, if we remember the poor and not turn our backs; Then, we can resist injustice, restore communities, and rebuild broken structures. And that will be our amusement, that will be our game, and that will be our joy.

Enjoy tonight, play the game, win a t-shirt, and have a drink.
Thanks for coming!