Influence Operation
Make or Break (NSW)
What news stories aren’t you hearing, and why? With interference in global elections, powerful corporate agendas, data theft, voter manipulation, and an increasing lack of transparency in government, is it possible for citizens to take back power?
Over two weeks, Make or Break invites you to help influence the 24-hour news cycle in real time. Working alongside journalists, media analysts, and civic hackers, you will learn subversive media strategies, build bots and click farms, and redirect online traffic to become the best Angelina-Jolie-in-Hackers-style citizen you can be.
Join the operation during daily workshops, see your content broadcast across town, and take power back from invisible influence. With Influence Operation, you set the agenda.
This project also includes group discussions and strategy sessions at multiple sites across Melbourne.
Open Worksessions (The Actual Work)
3-hour group working sessions where you will become a news hacker and maker. This is a safe space to work collectively, realise solidarities, learn storytelling and media skills, produce and promote the news you want to hear and share ideas for disrupting the 24HR news cycle. Some sessions will feature subject experts in citizen journalism, hacktivism, coding and more. Some computers available, but BYO laptop, tablet or smartphone if you can. Daily lunches, snacks, tea and coffee (with dinner for nighttime sessions). No experience necessary, but work space is limited. Join for half a day or many!
[Don’t have 3 hours? You can also watch us work via our live news feeds across Melbourne, or from the hallway if you’re more of a lurker]
Public Program
HACK/CHAT: A facilitated public conversation with Make or Break and a subject expert that exposes issues, logics, failures and strategies that arise as part of Influence Operation. Discussion topics could include the role of citizen journalists, relationships between media outlets and political parties, data and privacy, good and bad bots, as well as community issues that need airtime and attention. FREE, All welcome. Check Make or Break’s Instagram for HACK/CHAT updates @make.or.break
Sat 16 May 11am-1pm
Sat 23 May 11am-1pm
Sat 30 May 11am-1pm
News Tickers
3 LED ticker signs positioned around Melbourne will broadcast updates from the Influence Operation newsroom. Get a real-time insight into the content that is being used to infiltrate mainstream media by a dedicated crew of citizen journalists, hacktivists, nerds and bots.
24 hours, 15-31 May
Content Warnings
This production contains mature themes.
Mature content is likely to cover themes that are political, personal and emotive. Themes including complex personal experiences, mental health, climate change and unknown topics may arise. An anti-racism, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic and anti-sexist policy will be in place
Influence Operation is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and the City of Melbourne Arts Grants Program, and Campbelltown Arts Centre.
Make or Break has worked across gallery, institution, festival and community contexts to produce a range of process-based projects that are co-authored with the communities they intersect with. These have included creating experimental economies that address precarity and privilege; unveiling speculative monuments; celebrating the invisible labour of strangers and facilitating conversations and workshops as alternatives to traditional forms of research. Make or Break is passionate about exposing invisible labour and deploying artistic methods to question and challenge the social and political systems that influence lives and livelihoods. Make or Break is a collaboration between artists Connie Anthes and Rebecca Gallo, based in Sydney, Australia.