As if by magic...Visual artists protest with new works

Visual artists yesterday launched a campaign against draconian funding cuts with a piece of animated art featuring Tracy Emin, Wayne Rooney, pigs, cows and chickens which they hope every politician will see.
Every week for the nex six weeks up until the governments spending review announcement on 20 october a different artist will release a work as part of the campaign, which accepts that there will have to be cuts, but argues that the proposed 25% reductions would be devastating.
First up is David Shigley, who has made a 4 minute animated video called An Important Message, in which a farmer explains to his dim son why such cuts would be counterproductive: 'the arts allow us to look at ourselves, transport us, surprise us. They allow us to see something unique...something different from the latest hollywood teen vampire bollocks or reality tv'
The campaign has the backing of more than 100 leading artists from Hockney, Caro, Bridget Riley, Damien Hirst, Whiteread and the Chapman brothers.
Launching the campaign, Ralph Rugoff of the Hayward Gallery in London, said: 'We are appealing to the government not to make drastic cuts...they would sabotage what has been one of our most remarkable achievements. This country is a global leader in arts and culture and the benefits that come with that are at risk if we see those kind of cuts.'
Cutting budgets by a quarter. Rugoff said, would close many smaller organisations, force dramatic changes on others and would lessen experimentation and risk taking.
Also unveiled yesterday was a work for the campaign from the 2004 Turner prize winner, Jeremy Deller, a poser style neon quote from William Morris that reads: 'I do not want art for a few any more than I want education for a few, or freedom for a few.'
The third piece will come from Mark Wallinger, another Turner prize winner.
None of the artists are bing paid. The costs of the Shrigley animaton, which can also be seen at the Guardian website, have been covered by a grant from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Fortunately, I also hear Tony Blair was disuaded from his book promotion event at Tatew Modern.