In the post 9/11world, we are being confronted on many sides with issues of patriotism and American values. It’s nearly impossible to categorize this ubiquitous propaganda, but we all know that on some level we are being required to validate ourselves as true citizens, regardless of the emptiness of the motions or the likelihood of actually being model Americans.

In response to this polarity, we created Karaoke Allegiance! as an attempt to redistribute patriotism to anyone willing to participate in a performative act of speaking/ singing the Pledge of Allegiance. Karaoke has gained a mainstream cultural popularity here in the States, and has become yet another signifier of leisure class.

By combining the framework of the karaoke experience, a Japanese cultural import, with the elementary, rote recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, we hope to articulate the current categorization of citizens based on patriotism and flag-waving enthusiasm, rather than on their deeper commitments and/or criticisms of the current political regime.

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9.2004  Polvo Studio, Chicago IL