Bill Talen
From CT4CT: Creative Tools for Critical Times
Bill Talen (AKA Reverend Billy of the Church of Life After Shopping) is a performance artist based in New York City who "preaches" the message of economic justice, environmental protection, and anti-militarism on sidewalks and in shopping malls and chain stores. Regular sermon topics include sweatshop labor and war. Talen is also a strong advocate of Free Speech and the preservation of Public Space.
According to Talen:
Since 1996 our project has expanded from a one-man performance artist preaching against consumerism on the sidewalks of Times Square to a 35-person choir and 7-person band with dozens of original songs, a critically acclaimed stage show, a major motion picture and multiple media platforms. We have demonstrated commitment to educating the public about the consequences of unsustainable consumption. Our message--consuming less--is the single most effective and immediate response an individual can take to imeediately halting the climate crisis. This same messaage has reached millions of people and has contributed to the public's increasing awareness of the relationship between shopping and climate change. Besides our long-term commitment to promoting sustainable consumption, our organization’s efforts to revitalize public space and defend the first amendment have been documented all over the world.
Contents |
Projects
What Would Jesus Buy?
What Would Jesus Buy? is a documentary film by Morgan Spurlock starring performance artist Bill Talen in the role of Reverend Billy. The film follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as the tour the country in an effort to save Christman from what Talen describes as the Shopocalypse.
According to Warrior Poets Releasing LLC:
From producer Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas. Bill Talen (aka Reverend Billy) was a lost idealist who hitchhiked to New York City only to find that Times Square was becoming a mall. Spurred on by the loss of his neighborhood and inspired by the sidewalk preachers around him, Bill bought a collar to match his white caterer's jacket, bleached his hair and became the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. Since 1999, Reverend Billy has gone from being a lone preacher with a portable pulpit preaching on subways, to the leader of a congregation and a movement whose numbers are well into the thousands.
See also:
- Google Video: What Would Jesus Buy? (1:31:04)
- What Would Jesus Buy?
- Wikipedia: What Would Jesus Buy?
- YouTube: What Would Jesus Buy Trailer
