REPORT FROM: AgentAnna Grey, Agent Ryan Wilson Paulsen

MISSION CODE NAME: Instead of Pleading Up

The air is a site of enforcement, belonging to all but controlled by a few. It is by air that satellites and drones circle and map us, creating a surveillance network and a visual colonization of the globe that becomes more complete everyday. Be it from an amateur drone, oversized-sling-shot, kite or balloon, the leaflet drop holds potential to be a low-fi, low-cost, and mildly weaponized exhibition site for dissent, one that could reclaim the vertical from the grips of those who have held a monopoly for far too long.

Our deployment to Camp CARPA involved the exposition and distribution of research materials into the use and elaboration of leaflet drops throughout military, artistic, and design/marketing histories. We found it important to highlight specific instances of leaflet dissemination by air and ground as case studies that could demonstrate effective influence and intrigue in certain contexts. This was part of an effort to establish a set of best practices for ourselves and other practitioners of cultural, semiotic strategy in the realm of paper-based warfare while still emphasizing the value of improvisation in the field.