We were given a task to conduct a cultural jamming project with a group of our classmates (see this my previous post - cultural jamming ideas - week 5 task). However, the project fell apart........ I have not seen some members of the group for a while in the tutorials, so we decided to do the project by ourselves, individually. Originally, we were going to spread a rumor that someone found a gold nugget at the construction site across the road of our university, and create a discussion using a facebook groups, who should own the gold. It is very unfortunate, but I guess the life is tough!
So I have decided to report my project for another course as a part of my cultural jamming assignment. I am studying 'Art and Cultural Practices' as well, and we are going to have a stencil project on 9/10/10. I know it is a little bit too late for the due date of the marking of this blog posting assignment, but I thought it is better than nothing to provide for this cultural jamming project.
I am going to place dead body stencils, like we see body shapes on the ground drawn by a chalk in a cop shows. My partner (of this project ) and I are thinking to draw on the pedestrian crossings, beaches, cliffs etc. We are also going to use many different materials such as human hair, blood like red fluid and slime.
This is to send messages about risks, dangers, deaths and lives of our society.
I will report this project as soon as possible!
Meanwhile, I conducted research related to our original project instead, to avoid getting a late submission penalty for the cultural jamming project.
In Australia, people have a right to own the surface of the land, but we cannot own under the ground. If we find gold, hot springs, oil or any valuable mineral resources, the local state government have rights to own them. The owner of the land have absolutely no rights to own anything underneath the ground. Not only that, the government normally try to pressure you to move out the property if access to those resources is required. They say the arrangement and compensation must be agreed by both parties, however, if they cannot reach to the agreement, they simply take it to the court (Land holders rights, access arrangements and compensation under the Petroleum (Onshore) Act 1991, viewed 7/10/10, http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/minerals/titles/landholders-rights/petroleum_onshore_act_1991). So you might be able to get a better arrangement at the court, but it does not sound like you cannot insist to stay there.
Is that really fair???? Are we living in a communism country to share all the assets among the all nation? Why does the owner have to be forced to move away for the benefit of the country? Is the right of the human really lighter than the assetts of the nation?
On the other hand, in a few other countries including USA, you can own the land and the mineral rights (Mineral Rights, geology.com, viewed 7/10/10, http://geology.com/articles/mineral-rights.shtml). I loooove a US TV drama called 'Brothers and Sisters', and the last episode of the season 4 which broadcast in June 2010 here in Australia was about finding water resources on their land after the family business had gone broke (episode recap from abc.com: http://abc.go.com/shows/brothers-and-sisters/episode-guide/on-the-road-again/439852?page=2). They can do it there. If they found that the land had water beneath it, they own the right of the water as well. Same as Japan. People often find a hot spring under their personal property in Japan and they can make a fortune. However, their right is sometimes limited in the metropolitan area, and they can only own up to forty metre deep, so that underground public facilities like subways can be built (土地所有権は地球の裏側まであるか?, viewed 7/10/10, http://www.tyu1.com/korya13.htm).
What is fair to the nation? What is fair to people? What is the best way to set the mineral rights?
It is a very interesting argument. What do you think?
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