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Alexandra Sullivan
THE OFFICIAL CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE TEAM / EQUIPO OFICIAL DE RESQUESTA AL CAMINO CLIMATICO

first performed on December 8, 2017
Street Intervention in Miami, FL
performed twice in 2017

DIANE DWYER

Brooklyn, NY
diane@dianedwyer.info
dianedwyer.info

THE OFFICIAL CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE TEAM / EQUIPO OFICIAL DE RESQUESTA AL CAMINO CLIMATICO
DIANE DWYER

This performance is an interactive street intervention by Diane The American Swimmer. Diane the American Swimmer leads the US government’s Official Climate Change Response Team. The response is to walk the beaches and streets of Miami handing out blue band aids that merely say, “Don’t Worry” and “No Se Preocupes” while a recording of Trump’s voice intermittently echoes this directive: “Don’t worry about it… Just don’t worry about it.” Diane the American Swimmer is inefficiently covered in protective gear, carrying an upside-down orange safety cone. The cone is the container for the bandages, and also holds the speaker that plays Trump’s voice. This performance makes the absurd Climate Change denial concrete in the form of a tiny bandage. While this performance is framed by the ridiculous and absurd in appearance, it strives to create space for conversations about our responsibilities, including our civic responsibility to demand that we, and our government leaders, truly address this environmental crisis. For this performance, I considered the local context, Miami Beach. Like most waterfront cities, Miami faces dire threats from climate change, not just from storms, but also rising sea levels, and temperature increases.