Savitri D.
About Savitri D
Savitri D
Savitri D is an artist and activist. Born at the Lama Foundation, a commune in Northern New Mexico that was started by her parents, she was raised in community by her mother and older sisters. She has lived and traveled in many places. She has an extensive background in dance and moved to New York City in 1996.
Savitri is the director of Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping and has led direct action and organizing campaigns against corporations, institutions and injustice all over the world. She is the principal designer of The Church of Stop Shopping’s visual materials and conceptualizes most of their actions with Reverend Billy and the Choir. She is a serious lover of the wild and devotes her life to working for the earth.
Savitri likes to read, run, ride her bike and make things with her hands. She is the mother of a wonderful ten year old named Lena Nightstar and lives in Brooklyn with William Talen where she enjoys cold water swimming in the Atlantic Ocean all year long.
WORK
Savitri has lectured and led workshops on the topic of creative resistance at Wheaton, NYU, The New School, University of Michigan, Yale, RISDE, University of Connecticut, University of Kansas, University of Virginia, Franklin and Marshall College, Cornell, University of Massachusets (Amherst) , Sarah Lawrence, SUNY purchase, University Of Washington, CUNY, Hunter College, CSUN Los Angeles, CSUN Northridge, UC Santa Cruz, Boston College, Municipal Arts Society, Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation, Not an Alternative Gallery, 16 Beaver Group, Blue Stockings Books, World Social Forum, Hemispheric Insititute, University of North Carolina, and Duke University.
Internationally her work appeared at ICA London; CCA Barcelona; Vooruit, Belgium; House of World Cultures, Berlin: The World Social Forum, Nairobi; Saving Iceland, Reykavik; Schauspieler Haus, Hamburg and Zurich; Hemisferica, Buenos Aires; Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Theater Spektakel, The Athens Festival, Latitude, FIERCE Festival and numerous festivals of art & politics.
Her work has been featured on NBC nightly news, Today Show, Geraldo, Democracy Now, TheatreTalk, Brian Lehrer Show, Michael Martin NPR, NY 1, Marketplace, Times Magazine, BBC 1, BBC 2, Canal Plus, TF 1, and CBS Katie Couric to name a few.
RECORDING PROJECTS
Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Choir 2005
The Shopcalypse 2009
The Declaration of the Occupation 2011
The Earth Wants YOU! 2015
The Earth Wants YOU Radio Hour
50% discount code stopshopping
PERFORMANCE
We perform in all kinds of situations. This is a selection of venues, residencies and significant events.
First Amendment in Ground Zero
The Church of Stop Shopping at Burning Man 2003-2014
St Marks in the Bowery Residents 2003-2007
Theatre 80 Weekly Church Service 2010-2011
Rebel Content tour with Neil Young 2015
Fiery Eagles of Justice
Writing in Trump Tower
Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater residents 2015-2020
Radical Lunch
FESTIVALS (select) Adelaide Fringe, Athens Festival, Spektakel, Donau, Sterischer Herbst, Edinburg Fringe, Forest Fringe, Truth is Concret, The Influencers, hotDocs, , FIERCE, Latitude, Celebrate Brooklyn!, NYC Fringe, Live Ideas NY, Burning Man, Secret Garden, Sundance, Bioneers Silver Docs, Brooklyn Folk Festival
VENUES & INSTITUTIONS ( select) ICA London, ICP NYC, Creative Time, Haus der Kulture Welt, St John of the Divine, RedCat LA, The Castro Theater, Cafe Voltaire , NYU, The New School, Harvard, Cal Arts, USF, UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego, University of Michigan
MEDIA PROJECTS
Preacher With an Unknown God 2004
Short film by Rob Van Alkemades
full length documentary by directed by Rob VanAlkemades, produced by Morgan Spurlock
The Last Televangelist episodes and excerpts
30 minute episodes and excerpts mostly by Glenn Gabel
The Earth Wants You Radio & Podcast ARCHIVE
many episodes from 2016-2019