The Lobster Lobby, a spin-off of the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, got intrigued by the unwanted underwater species as a metaphor for our capitalist society. Once the food of poor people, the American Lobster is now served on silver plates and satin napkins. However, largely unnoticed under the surface of the canals, the species is taking over.‎ After researching this creature for some time, the Lobster Lobby decided to organise a demonstration and event. In addition, they also wanted to make mockumentary and capture the process. In the mockumentary, we follow a lobster who decides to leave the canals, enters the human world, and needs to face the out-of-the-water lifestyle. The mockumentary is a coming-of-age story of a young adult encountering a consumerist world: housing struggles, inequalities, and hyper-individualised social networks. Probably the real lobsters, the ones invading the European landscapes, are of very different nature?

On Wednesday 13 December 2023, the Lobster Lobby decided to take matters into its own hands and demonstrated in front of the US embassy in The Hague: The US has spread their “American Dream” internationally. Now, we need to live with the consequences: consumerism, individualism, and a private housing market that does not meet the needs of the population. Individual freedom and free markets are the promises that lost their attraction. Inequality and populism are what we got in return. The “world’s police” seems to have lost their power over their export hit. Now, we need to deal with the problems. Similarly, the US lost the power over the lobsters that are crawling in the Dutch ditches and destroying the ecosystem. US, we urge you – act upon your responsibilities! We don’t want your populism to spread further in the world.

To shed light on the pressing issue of this invasive species, the Lobster Lobby organised an event at PIP The Hague on the 16th of December 2023. Beyond the primary objective of raising awareness, it was a lively celebration marking months of research and hard work on this invasive species challenge. The evening unfolded with the premiere of the mockumentary, setting the stage for an unforgettable afterparty that stretched into the late hours.

Apart from all the final results, of course, the process is important too. That's why we don't want you to miss out on that either, below are some photos and videos from our journey. Click it away! ↓