Peng! Collective was founded in Berlin in 2013 and is composed of a group of activists based in Berlin. They define themselves as antagonists of PR agencies, choosing as the subjects of their work the “dirty dealings” that hide behind glossy advertisements. The collective challenges corporate identities, political propaganda, and mainstream mindsets with subversive direct actions and civil disobedience. They explore creative means of bold protest and encourage civil society and established NGOs to apply their tools to unconventional campaigns.
Fluchthelfer.in. Become an Escape Agent, 2015
Video
Peng! Collective launched a campaign to promote helping refugees to cross the interior borders of the European Union, for example by suggesting people coming back from a holiday give migrants a lift in their car as far as Germany. Establishing a parallel with the country’s recent history by referring to the Fluchthelfer (agents who help others flee) who risked their lives to help people escape East Germany, the project encourages an act of civil disobedience in favour of the refugees, who have been denied the fundamental right of free movement in Europe. Peng! Collective provides information on how to participate in this action while minimising the risk of criminal consequences, and has also begun a crowdfunding campaign to help the contemporary Fluchthelfer sustain the legal costs resulting from their acts of civil disobedience.
Call-A-Spy, 2016 – ongoing
Installation
Call-A-Spy is an installation through which visitors can telephone directly and anonymously to agents in the secret services, including the FBI, NSA and Department of Homeland Security in the US, the Verfassungsschutz and BND in Germany, and the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure in France. Thanks to a secret database with over 5000 telephone numbers of various Intelligence agencies, the Call-A-Spy system allows visitors to hold a private telephone conversation with the people who are monitoring us, while remaining in the shadows.