ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the case of the SWARM Project, Electronic Disturbance Theater's first attempt at digital direct action, with a focus on the practical and creative settings of the virtual performance. Many aspects of the SWARM Project resonate with Critical Art Ensemble (CAE), CAE's conception of digital resistance. First, by staging the protest against the websites of governments and financial institutions, the activists re-placed political action into cyberspace. Second, the focus on obstructing the flow of information with the use of denial-of-services (DoS) created the type of disruption described in Electronic Civil Disobedience. Third, the event was the result of a long-term collaboration between activists, artists and computer experts. It was expected that at some point, the hosting servers would slow down under the excessive number of requests, disturbing genuine access to the websites, and causing denial-of-services (DoS).
