Bichlbaum to give Adams-Tillim Lecture
Andy Bichlbaum, one half of The Yes Men, will be giving the Adams–Tillim Lecture on Tuesday, March 29 at 7:30 pm in Tishman Lecture Hall. There will also be a screening on Monday of The Yes Men Are Revolting.
The Yes Men use tactical media interventions—which they sometimes refer to as “identity correction”—to raise awareness about social and political issues, often by impersonating spokespersons for multinational corporations and government entities or by creating fake websites for existing companies. Bichlbaum and his collaborator state that their work is driven by a belief that lies can expose the truth.
Targets of The Yes Men’s activism have included Dow Chemicals, the World Trade Organization, the oil giant BP, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Canadian Minister of the Environment. In 2008 they published and distributed a fake issue of The New York Times with headlines such as "Iraq War Ends" and "Nation Sets Its Sights on Building Sane Economy."
They have produced three films—The Yes Men (2003), The Yes Men Fix the World (2009), and The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014)—which document many of their actions.
The Adams–Tillim Lecture was established in 1992 by Bennington alumnus David Beitzel ’83 in honor of two retired Bennington College visual arts faculty members, Pat Adams and the late Sidney Tillim.