A Latvian artist created a project where a US flag was dipped in CocaCola in aquarium in a school. The project was because US didn't like when Latvia wanted to pass a law that prohibited the selling of soft drinks in Latvian schools and instead sell juice and other more healthy drinks.

21 day after the flag has all but dissolved, only something like threads of a spider web remain.

Capitalism before children and health. No matter the country or place, that's what USA stands for.

Latvian artist Aigars Bikse together with Madeleine Albright create a meeting point of the USA flag cue, Coca-Cola and the school.


On March 7, the new work of the Latvian artist Aigars Bikse “The Incredible Adventures of the USA Flag in Latvia” was opened in Akniste Secondary school’s IT studies classroom in Latvia. In the glass-case filled up with circulating Coca-Cola drink one sees a streaming wool cloth - the USA flag cue. In every five minutes the liquid is discharged from the case fully revealing the piece of cloth placed in it, then the vessel is filled up again.

Video: http://www.flagadventure.com/

Aigars Bikse: "Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright and me have created a single project: she delivered the concept, I visualized it. I got the impulse for Mrs Albright in the year 2006 when Ministry of Health was going to stop selling of carbonated and sweetened soft drinks in schools and kindergartens. Mrs Albright, already being representative of the Albright Group LLC

on behalf of her client Coca-Cola, wrote to the president of Latvia asking cancellation of such a step by the ministry. I really felt affected. In this case the global business ‘co-laundered’ itself together with politics, leaving an impression of a process of a low ethical value. I decided: Madeleine Albright, being a former US secretary of state, may rinse the political image of the state and the commercial interests of the mega-brand in one and the same vessel, nevertheless I, being an artist, may visualize all the process as I see it. Following the principle suggested by Mrs Albright that good things get on well I combined three different themes: rights of a small state to protect its junior citizens, importance of a big state, interests of global corporation. All the project elements are emotionally charged; each of them has its own history, identification. Let us observe the process of synthesis via the newly created object and also in our minds."


The preparation of the installation took more than a year and a half. "It was important that every detail was prepared with an utmost care, but the final synthesis would have taken place in an average country school of Latvia. The stand of the showcase, woodcarving is hand-made, created by artisan Valdis Bekmanis according to the individual design. But the cloth-flag was created by the textile artist – weaver Amanda Berga, hand-made according to ancient Latvian folk traditions, using only natural sheep wool staples and natural colors.


Amazing difficulties were met with finding of the school. For more than a year the project was offered to school headmasters in many schools of Latvia. But the surprising demonstration of self-censorship on behalf of many school headmasters was admirable enough that it was almost worth of another separate art project, and so for a long time it was impossible to find a home for the artwork. The search of the school continued until the beginning of 2008 when the Aknīste school headmaster agreed to exhibit the project in the school premises. A school in the rural countryside of Latvia, wool cloth weaved according to ancient traditions, woodcarving requiring an immense input of work by the artisan – these are symbols of values which are quite opposite to those of the consummator culture and stand for the independency of decision-making of a small state, " Aigars Bikse added.


Those who cannot visit the school may see the process of synthesis online at www.flagadventure.com or www.karogapiedzivojumi.com. The website also contains more information on the project implementation. The aquarium will be run until May 7, on that day the process of synthesis will be stopped and the acquired results examined.


Project is supported by Cultural Endowment Fund of Latvia, Datnex, MAP, publishing house MANTOJUMS. Informative support: www.draugiem.lv, The Centre for Arts Management and Information- MMIC.


7th of March 2008

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7082/21644476mr0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

21 day after

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3514/46387979sa8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/3953/96906133ch0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The project was because US didn't like when Latvia wanted to pass a law that prohibited the selling of soft drinks in Latvian schools and instead sell juice and other more healthy drinks.


The quote said a rep of Coke complained, not "The USA". Any company is going to try and keep their contract regardless of their nationality.

Capitalism before children and health. No matter the country or place, that's what USA stands for.

Bull, didn't your mother tell you soda was bad for you? Mine did and she's from the US.:cool:
Soda is in the schools because adults and children enjoy the taste, period.
which maybe why they had a hard time finding a home for this thing.

And it almost makes it sound as if the flag was designed to break down,but Coke will eat nails, though, if you leave them in it long enough.

I want you to remember that the flag they used was made in China! Therefor the results are not correct. It is Chinas fault for using improper threads that only disolve in Coke...UNFAIR I SAY!! ;) :p

LOL, that's funny cosmic.
My Mom polished silver with tomato juice. Ok, she made us kids polish silver with tomato juice.
And what about the acidic juice in oj?

The quote said a rep of Coke complained, not "The USA". Any company is going to try and keep their contract regardless of their nationality.
Did you read which rep?


And it almost makes it sound as if the flag was designed to break down,but Coke will eat nails, though, if you leave them in it long enough.
My friend armorsmith swears by coke as a polishing solution.
He makes medieval armor for fight clubs.

I want you to remember that the flag they used was made in China! Therefor the results are not correct. It is Chinas fault for using improper threads that only disolve in Coke...UNFAIR I SAY!! ;) :p

No, it was made in Latvia using natural wool.

Yeah, and I wouldn't listen to her either.

The quote said a rep of Coke complained, not "The USA". Any company is going to try and keep their contract regardless of their nationality. And it's just a coincidence that Coke chose a former US Secretary of State through a larger commercial group to deliver its message to the government of Latvia ?
Soda is in the schools because adults and children enjoy the taste, period. And it is not banned from the schools because there is no reason for adults to put the welfare of children above such a consideration ? Or is there another reason ?

In my childhood the notion of supplying children with soda in school would have been laughed at. What's next, candy instead of food for school lunch ?

I appreciate their not wanting unhealthy drinks in their school, but the art is misleading. The same thing would happen if you soaked the flag in stomach bile. Coca-cola isn't unhealthy because it's acidic, it's unhealthy (mostly) because of the high fructose corn syrup. The implication is that Coca-Cola will dissolve your body, which is just stupid.

Try the same thing with orange juice, or even better lemon juice. In fact, the flag would probably not last long in water.

Those Latvians should be awarded for this!! :D Way to punch capitalism in face!

I appreciate their not wanting unhealthy drinks in their school, but the art is misleading. The same thing would happen if you soaked the flag in stomach bile. Coca-cola isn't unhealthy because it's acidic, it's unhealthy (mostly) because of the high fructose corn syrup. The implication is that Coca-Cola will dissolve your body, which is just stupid.

Try the same thing with orange juice, or even better lemon juice. In fact, the flag would probably not last long in water.

It is an example of what coca-cola can do to your teeth. Just try it, place an egg shell or even a real tooth in a cup filled with a soft drink and just see what happens. By the way, the phosphoric acid in Coke and other soft drinks can actually eat away at your stomach wall.

The project was because US didn't like when Latvia wanted to pass a law that prohibited the selling of soft drinks in Latvian schools and instead sell juice and other more healthy drinks.
first, there are US schools that don't sell soda...
second, maybe i slept in that day but i really don't recall at any time in my life, the main topic of discussion being whether or not we the US should allow latvian children to drink soda in school. In any other thread this would be about how americans can't find latvia on a map or don't care about the diabetic pandemic plaguing children in another country and how much we don't care, but in this thread, "The US" really doesn't care about latvian children's soda intake - so lets say instead that all americans represent the coca-cola company's marketing department just to have another excuse to vilify people that aren't in any way associated with a contract the school would like to break. If the school wants to consider American's as the coca cola company they are demonstrating against (after all, they did intentionally destroy an american flag) I say we then must have a duty to retaliate the best way we know how, bomb the school, and kill all the kids inside. We will be getting rid of the evil school administrative conspirators and freeing the children from the grips of the soda lords.
/end sarcasm.
this thread topic is such crap.

first, there are US schools that don't sell soda...
second, maybe i slept in that day but i really don't recall at any time in my life, the main topic of discussion being whether or not we the US should allow latvian children to drink soda in school. In any other thread this would be about how americans can't find latvia on a map or don't care about the diabetic pandemic plaguing children in another country and how much we don't care, but in this thread, "The US" really doesn't care about latvian children's soda intake - so lets say instead that all americans represent the coca-cola company's marketing department just to have another excuse to vilify people that aren't in any way associated with a contract the school would like to break. If the school wants to consider American's as the coca cola company they are demonstrating against (after all, they did intentionally destroy an american flag) I say we then must have a duty to retaliate the best way we know how, bomb the school, and kill all the kids inside. We will be getting rid of the evil school administrative conspirators and freeing the children from the grips of the soda lords.
/end sarcasm.
this thread topic is such crap.

Simple minds need simple concepts to bitch about. It has always been this way. Let them rant about the big, bad U.S. some more.

/LMAO at the soda lords

There is no control. We need a water control and a juice control for the project to make scientific sense.

Dear ignoramus,
These aren't examples of capitalism. Where was Pepsi or the Latvian store-brand cola manufacturer? A corporation unilaterally pressuring a government to institute change in their state controlled school is not capitalist. It's a corporation and a bunch of socialists looking to make money off of children by abusing the power of government.

Maybe if you privatized education, you'd have more direct say in your child's education.

And it is not banned from the schools because there is no reason for adults to put the welfare of children above such a consideration ? Or is there another reason ?Welfare schmelfare. Just because a coke machine exists doesn't mean kids are forced to drink it.

In my childhood the notion of supplying children with soda in school would have been laughed at. What's next, candy instead of food for school lunch ?See, that's one of the fallacies of this thread. The school isn't forcing the kids to drink it.

It is an example of what coca-cola can do to your teeth. Just try it, place an egg shell or even a real tooth in a cup filled with a soft drink and just see what happens.It's good for sensationalism, but not good as a real example. Nobody drinks soda by holding it in their mouth for several days in a row.

By the way, the phosphoric acid in Coke and other soft drinks can actually eat away at your stomach wall.Possibly, but that assumes it sits in there for way longer than it actually does. Also, the tissue is very much living, so it heals itself just as fast as it's "eaten away".

The bottom line is, who cares? Why should it be the job of Coca-Cola (i.e. the entire U.S, as the artist would have you believe) to protect Latvian children from the "dangers" of an occasional soda? Why should it not be the job of the PARENTS?

If people are so weak-willed that coca-cola's marketing actually FORCES them into drinking soda -- or if they have so little self control that the mere existence of soda threatens the whole country -- then that indicates a much deeper societal problem. It doesn't indicate a flaw in capitalism.

Heh, the highway patrol keep a couple 2-litre bottles of Coke in their trunk to pour over and dissolve blood stains on the highway.

- N