More 'Free Tibet' Artists from Brooklyn Detained in China

Beijing: Activists detained after lighting up "Free Tibet" LED Throwies banner near Olympics site from Students for a Free Tibet on Vimeo.

Yesterday, Graffiti Research Lab founder James Powderly was arrested in Beijing; now five other American artists being held for unfurling a lighted banner reading "Free Tibet." (According to the NY Times, Powderly is a Brooklyn artist who recently showed his work at an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York entitled “Design and the Elastic Mind.”)

The five were detained by security personnel after displaying the banner for about 20 seconds at 11:48 pm August 19th. Their whereabouts are currently unknown.

Two of the five activists are from Brooklyn: Samantha Corbin, 24, and Lauren Valle, 21. The others are Amy Johnson, 33, , Liza Smith, 31, Jacob Blumenfeld, 26,

According to Free Tibet 2008, the lights used on the banner were blue 10 mm light-emitting diodes (LEDs) powered by small batteries, commonly known as “throwies.”

More at Free Tibet 2008, the NY Times, and Gothamist.

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