BUNKER FRIDAYS
ALL THE NOISE THAT’S UNFIT TO BROADCAST
Hosted by Randall Packer
Live from the Underground Studio Bunker in Washington, DC.
Fridays 5:30pm – 6:30pm ET beginning January 24, 2025
https://www.thirdspacenetwork.com/bunker-fridays
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” – Buckminster Fuller
Bunker Fridays is a live-streamed, artist-driven broadcast series that reclaims the Internet as a site for resistance, artistic expression, and community empowerment in times of extreme political turbulence and uncertainty. Rooted in Washington, DC—an emblem of national discourse and power—Bunker Fridays transforms the digital sphere into a live gathering space for artists, activists, and technologists to confront and engage with the pressing issues of today, particularly in response to the polarized political climate following the re-election of Donald Trump. Broadcast live from the Underground Studio Bunker, the project positions artists as critical voices in shaping public discourse, offering an alternative to the noise and bias perpetuated by mainstream media.
The project’s core mission is to mobilize the power of art and creative dialogue as an act of resistance, a means of expression that offers hope and clarity when the political landscape is increasingly divisive and dark. Every Friday, Bunker Fridays will present a series of “telematic acts of resistance,” featuring artists, activists, and thought leaders who share their insights, artistic creations, and reflections on the unfolding political climate. Through spoken word, experimental video, electronic music – an immersive multimedia audio-visual mix threaded through the flow of open discussion – Bunker Fridays will communicate the essential role of the artist as a beacon of resilience and an advocate for humanity’s “better angels.”
This broadcast series draws stylistically from traditional cable news, incorporating familiar elements—opinion, reportage, appropriated media, and interviews, combined with dynamically infused TV-style graphics—all while subverting these conventions to place the “microphone” squarely in the hands of the artist. At the heart of Bunker Fridays is the idea of the artist as an agitator, a provocateur, a mediator: reclaiming and redefining media spaces as channels for honesty, inclusivity, resistance, and creative power. Our highly acclaimed, socially-engaged chat space is intended to transform the online audience from passive viewers into active participants, creating an engaged, interactive, and supportive third space virtual community around shared values and actionable goals.
As a program of the Third Space Network (3SN), Bunker Fridays taps into creative director Randall Packer’s extensive experience with live-streamed artistic events that foster meaningful public dialogue. This project continues the legacy of the US Department of Art & Technology, which Packer founded as a virtual agency to promote artist-driven political action. By hosting a regular, real-time series of discussions, performances, and collaborative art happenings, Bunker Fridays encourages audience members to turn art and dialogue into community action, with direct calls from invited guests to invite the viewer to participate in ongoing activist art projects and initiatives.
Bunker Fridays is both a creative platform and a form of artistic protest, reminding viewers that, while the political climate may seem bleak, the artist’s voice is a powerful tool for hope, resistance, and transformation. Through the Internet, Bunker Fridays will reach a national and global audience, amplifying voices that inspire collective resilience and reminding us that, in the challenging times to come, art can illuminate the path forward.