Ronald McDonald kidnapping described as “art and activism for better food”

Jani Leinonen

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When a plastic statue of the McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald was taken from a Helsinki outlet of the food chain two weeks ago, credit for the action was taken by a group of activists calling itself the Food Liberation Army.
      In a video message, the FLA threatened to “execute” Ronald if McDonald’s did not respond to questions put to it.
      The questions concerned issues such as the origin of the food and health risks involved.
     
In the ensuing media frenzy police searched the studio of artist Jani Leinonen and arrested him.
      The stolen statue has been returned to its owners, and the artist has been released. The FLA was an idea of Leinonen himself.
      But as McDonalds did not say a word, a plaster copy of the statue lost its head on Friday at the Showroom Helsinki gallery.
     
Contrary to what one might imagine, Leinonen does not hate Ronald or McDonalds. On the contrary, he loves hamburgers - a sentiment declared by the FLA video as well.
      “I have to admit it, and I am slightly embarrassed. The idea came because it was so close to me.”
      The purpose was to draw attention to the ethical problems with the production of cheap food. “The questions could be asked of any food producer. Much of the food that we eat is industrially produced”, Leinonen says.
     
Leinonen was surprised that the stunt led to his arrest.
      “I thought that I had taken a rubber statue from a store, but apparently I had done something much worse."
      Leinonen’s computer, his drawings, and paintings are still in the hands of the police.
     
For Leinonen, the action was art, and not activism. The videos were made in a studio with the help of actors, to resemble real activist grouips.
      “Regardless of whether this project is activism or art, the content is what is important.”
      “When people realise that a matter is art, the content becomes neutralised. I have thought that I would start avoiding talking about art, because things feel more real that way. People have such a strange image of art.”
     
Other activist groups and the media enjoyed the stunt, and were incensed at the reaction of the police.
      Leinonen notes that students of the Helsinki University of Technology have once stolen a Ronald McDonald mascot. “It was a great act, which could also involve ideology. I started to develop the idea of how it would be possible to tell people important things in that way.”
     
Leinonen was surprised at the amount of attention the stunt received. Their video has been seen over 300,000 times on YouTube, and there have even been requests for interviews from abroad.
      “I didn’t understand how great a symbolic value Ronald has. Ronald is better known than Jesus.”
      Leinonen has not yet been charged with any crime.
     
     
The FLA exhibtion is open through April 16th at Showroom Helsinki at Lonnrotinkatu 16 L 10.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Stolen Ronald McDonald statue recovered in police house search (9.2.2011)
  FLA to fast food chain: "Answer questions by Friday or Ronald McDonald gets it" (8.2.2011)

Links:
  FLA video of kidnapping itself
  FLA video: Execution of Ronald McDonald
  FLA video issues demands and threatens ““execution”” of Ronald McDonald by Friday this week.

Helsingin Sanomat