Atos Kills at the Tate / 28 September 2011
Poet, artist and campaigner, Vince Laws, has launched a collection of ‘Atos Kills’ funeral cards in the Tate Modern whilst having his portrait painted. The limited edition collection comprises six cards with hand-written texts in black and red biro.
‘Who gives Atos about the sick?’ asks the first.
‘Atos is a French IT company, paid £100 million a year by the government to take benefits away from the sick’ reads the second.
‘Atos Kills' [allegedly] states the third boldly. ‘Poet Paul Reekie killed himself in June 2010. He left out 2 letters informing him that his Incapacity Benefit and his Housing Benefit had been stopped.’
Card four reads: ‘Last year despite support from my GP, HIV consultant and psychologist – I scored zero points on an Atos medical and my benefits were stopped. I wasn’t even informed. This is no way to treat a mental.’
Card five: ‘Atos has just sponsored the Paralympics in London 2012. The Paralympians must refuse this money – which has been stolen from the sick and disabled.’
The final card reads ‘I went to Atos for a medical last Thursday. Did I get any points? Day of Protest – September 30th – outside Atos offices nationwide.’
Vince has been invited to sit for a portrait by the artist Tanya Raabe as part of the Revealing Culture: Head On Collection. The sitting was open to the public on Wednesday 21 September in the Tate Modern, where Vince’s ‘Atos Kills’ funeral cards were on display.
Comments
vince laws
/shocking isn't it? we got a honktastic response to our protest outside Atos in Norwich. They had to shut their wiondows on the hottest day of the year. Grrrr.
Sam Jones
/The ATOS computer says NO. Blindness is NOT a disability. Deafness is NOT a disability. Cancer is NOT a disability. Having no legs is NOT a disability. Having no pulse...dead? No NO NO NO NO the computer still says NO!
Colin Hambrook
/I've just seen a letter in the guardian written by a friend about her brother who was deemed fit for work by atos, despite having a terminal illness. He died six days later. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jun/03/unfairness-of-the-capability-test
vince laws
/thanks for that richard.
Atos is the IT company the uk government pays to conduct medical assessments to decide if people are fit to work. my doctor, my consultant, and my psychologist were over-ruled by a nurse in an office filling out the answers to questions on a computer. the government accepts the system is flawed but keeps forcing vulnerable, sick people through the flawed system like something out of Kafka. i consider it a psychological assault. it is a cruel way to treat people, but intensely cruel to those of us with altered perceptions. it's a very threatening system. i had to sit in an office with the same nurse I saw a year ago who was very sympathetic but scored me zero points. how am i meant to answer the questions that I obviously got wrong last time and get them right this time? It's bonkers - I'm sane! The system makes no allowance for pain, fatigue or fluctuating symptoms. stop the medicals, stop the conveyor belt, stop the sausage machine - i want to get off. vince
l@pprent1
/Hello, I'm French and I don't understand what Atos means? Could someone explain to me, please? Appreciated!
apprentice
richard downes
/well done for taking the opportunity at such a prestigious setting. Now that's activism. Direct and simple.
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