In the 1992 interview with Vanity Fair, Madonna was asked what she is going to do when she turns 50 and her “body goes”. “I’ll use my mind”, she replied promptly. Indeed. Not that her body is any less seductive than it was in 1992 – she gets better with age just like a fine wine! – but her recent artistic endeavours show that she’s more fond of expressing herself by using mind power rather than her physical attributes. Raising public awareness and rebelling against any form of discrimination, she eventually gave vent to her rage with one of her most unusual projects to date, secretprojectrevolution.

She was “telling us a secret” already in her 2005 documentary. The film ends with Madonna visiting Israel, amidst the protests. Her 2012 visit in the country, with the opening show of The MDNA Tour, was surrounded by the threat of Israel striking Iran. The show was aptly named Concert for Peace. Other socio-political events would occur around the world just as the tour was progressing. Pussy Riot were imprisoned and gay rights violated in Russia. Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was nearly assassinated. The presidential election campaign in the United States wasn’t going much to her liking. On the top of that, politicians in France and Russia went so far as to threaten with legal actions to stop her from baring inconvenient truths.

“There were moments that started to make me feel that I needed to make a statement, that I needed to say something about what I was witnessing”

Not everybody knows that secretprojectrevolution was never a planned move. It came about quite spontaneously. In 2012, between touring the world, promoting Truth or Dare perfumes and opening new Hard Candy fitness centres, the ever-working Queen of Pop was also designing a line of lingerie. She invited her artistic partner in crime, Steven Klein, to work with her on the promotional photo shoot. Little did she know that the potential distributor would reject her underwear as being too risky. The project stalled. One thing led to another, and so the set, crew and lingerie were then utilized for filming the artistic manifestation Madonna wanted to make.

The 17-minute black-and-white film offers everything from pantomime and expressive dance, through Madonna’s unlikely rendition of an American patriotic song, to recurring scenes of violence and torture. It’s a dark picture, full of unrest and decadence, yet beautifully shot, provoking similarities to 2003’s X‑STaTIC PRO=CeSS. In the monologue led throughout the film, Madonna reflects on injustice, intolerance, oppression. She vows to fight for personal freedom against “those fascist dictators posing as righteous men”. By the time the film finishes, we learn that it’s dedicated to those who suffer from oppression and persecution, be it people of colour, sexual minorities or individuals discriminated against on the grounds of their gender.


Madonna deemed this film her most important artistic achievement to date

Months went by, during which Madonna was teasing the fans with cryptic trailers. The release date would be rescheduled a number of times, testing everyone’s patience to the limits. Finally, the long-awaited film was released in September 2013, in a very unconventional format. First screened on multiple outdoor locations worldwide, the film was then made available for free download on BitTorrent. secretprojectrevolution felt more like an edgy move by an independent, emerging artist, rather than a fanfare release from an established popstar with 30 years of a successful career. All the more so that it was accompanied with promotion that at best can be called minimal. There was only a handful of interviews and a single performance at a New York gallery.

Fair enough, as it wasn’t a money-making venture. The whole point was to direct people’s attention to different issues related to freedom: the lack of it, fighting for it, or taking it for granted. The newly launched open platform Art for Freedom aimed at stimulating people’s creativity to express what freedom means to them, in any shape or form.

“This film, aside from my children, is to me the most important thing I’ve ever done”

So, seven months after the release, did the project achieve expected results? Making the world a better place requires a much greater amount of time. But so far, the action has sparked a heated debate and polarized opinions. Some couldn’t understand what exactly Madonna wants to achieve with the film. Claims such as that “pushing an agenda of tolerance to Madonna’s own fanbase is like expounding upon the benefits of vegetables to vegans” are quite understandable. But many others praised Madonna for using her platform and taking the concept of changing the world to another level.

An estimated ten thousand people watched the film across all screenings. Its YouTube views have quickly risen to hundreds of thousands. In less than three weeks, the BitTorrent Bundle has been downloaded over 1.2m times. Every day, tens of works are being submitted to the Art for Freedom’s grant program, which is currently in the middle of its run.

But despite Madonna’s status as the Queen of Pop and the involvement from other celebrities, secretprojectrevolution isn’t garnering a mass attention. Its respective hashtags haven’t really conquered the social media. That, however, doesn’t reflect the measure of its success, but only points out the flaws of mass mentality. Thoughts-provoking projects with important messages simply fail to win the “click, view and like” battle when set against latest celebrity gossips and music of a dubious artistry.

Fans gathered at one of the screenings of the film

According to Madonna herself, the film is only one part of a bigger, long-term project, which she hopes will inspire other known figures to make their own statements. Chances are that it will also set the tone of her forthcoming album. A lyric from a potential new song “Rebel Heart” is promising material that could tie in with the film. In retrospect, secretprojectrevolution will stand out as an unusual piece in Madonna’s creative output.

This article was originally published on MadonnaNewEra – Madonna’s oldest fansite in the world.

 

See also: Madonna – Birthday Girl