On Saturday 12th of July 2008 Accidental Collective descended upon Manchester. Between 1pm and 4pm the company took Exchange Square by storm, an area redeveloped after the 1996 IRA bomb attack. The company, supported by Greenroom and hÅb, travelled to Manchester to contribute towards Hazard Festival with their socio-political satire, BIKINI State.
‘BIKINI State’ is the name for the system used by the Ministry of Defence to indicate the level of non-specific forms of terrorist activity. Established in 1970, it pre-dates the newer, more publicised and general 'UK Threat Levels' (in use since 2006).
You have seen it before: rifles, balaclavas, hazard tape, gas masks, men in white protective gear, provocative leaflets. Drawing on images deeply embedded in the nation's consciousness, BIKINI State introduced a cast of exaggerated personas in a series of independent yet thematically linked vignettes. A bizarre mix of live art, comedy and activism, BIKINI State subversively tackled some of the issues related to expressions that have gained so much currency: 'the reign of terror' and 'fear culture'.
Through this playful and provocative intervention, Accidental Collective aimed to puncture your experience of the everyday, challenge your assumptions and your deepest fears. In the grand tradition of Great British satire BIKINI State intended to explore a potentially explosive issue with tongue in cheek and hoped to perform a sort of communal catharsis. ‘BIKINI State’ is currently set on 'Black Special'. The current 'UK Threat Level' is 'Severe'. Stay alert!
