Plastique fantastique is a variable art collective, described by the artists (David Burrows and Simon O’Sullivan) as 'a mythopoetic fiction - an investigation of aesthetics, the sacred and politics - produced through comics, performances, text, installations and shrines and assemblages'. I see them as part hyper-fashionable, part appealing to teenage subculture and part mock religion. 'Inversion Ritual (against the Plague that is Capital)' was a performance at 1-2-3-4, Brighton in 2009. Other artists included Martin Creed and Bob and Roberta Smith.
The performance's script notes that it occurs in a deconsecrated church. During the 'ritual' a 'demon' is summoned, via projection screen (see below). The demon rants angrily about the viewers 'stupid habits and ROO-TEENS, your vegan-campers and organic-converses (I DESPISE your socalled life-styles)'. It chews up pop music/ culture references and spits them back out - 'So, all you Beyonces and baby dolls, and lucy loos, you independent ladies, wave your hands in the air like YOU JUST DON’T CARE'.
Its a clever way of relating to culture, appropriating a religious format allows them to transform viewers into members (religious angle) or participants (art angle). It also allows, through use of ritual or worship, the speech to not have any particular point. Although political, it has no propositions like a manifesto would ('I HAVE NO MESSAGE'), its just focused opposition, anti-worship of capitalism. The speech is full of repetition, which suits it's content ('Again and again and again you will do the same thing'). I didn't see the performance but just looking at the script, its pretty dark.
The least hopeless part of the script is not spoken by the Demon, but one of the summoners:
'Goods will become SHADOWS!'
