Full Description
Protestors across the world use aesthetics in order to communicate their ideas and ensure their voices are heard. This book looks at protest aesthetics, which we consider to be the visual and performative elements of protest, such as images, symbols, graffiti, art, as well as the choreography of protest actions in public spaces. Through the use of social media, protestors have been able to create an alternative space for people to engage with politics that is more inclusive and participatory than traditional politics. This volume focuses on the role of visual culture in a highly mediated environment and draws on case studies from Europe, Thailand, South Africa, USA, Argentina, and the Middle East in order to demonstrate how protestors use aesthetics to communicate their demands and ideas. It examines how digital media is harnessed by protestors and argues that all protest aesthetics are performative and communicative.
Contents
Acknowledgements, Preface: Devisualize Nicholas Mirzoeff Introduction: The Aesthetics of Global Protest: Visual Culture and Communication Aidan McGarry, Itir Erhart, Hande Eslen-Ziya, Olu Jenzen, and Umut Korkut PART I: PERFORMANCE, ART AND POLITICS Chapter 1: Queer Visual Activism in South Africa Tessa Lewin Chapter 2: The Use of Visibility in Contentious Events in Northern Ireland Katy Hayward and Milena Komarova Chapter 3: Maybe We Will Benefit From Our Neighbour's Good Fortune: An Exhibition on Collectivity, Community and Dialogue in Turkey Isil Egrikavuk Chapter 4: Political Street Art in Social Mobilization: A Tale of Two Protests in Argentina Holly Eva Ryan Chapter 5: Archiving Dissent: (Im)material Trajectories of Political Street Art in Istanbul and Athens Julia Tulke Chapter 6: The Introvert's Protest: Handwriting the Constitution and the Performance of Politics Interview with Morgan O'Hara by Aidan McGarry PART II: VISUAL ACTIVISM AND DIGITAL CULTURE Chapter 7: Photography and protest in Israel/Palestine: The Activestills online archive Simon Faulkner Chapter 8: Drones, Cinema, and Protest in Thailand Noah Viernes Chapter 9: Bearing Witness to Authoritarianism and Commoning through Video Activism and Political Film-Making after the Gezi Protests Özge Özdüzen Chapter 10: Music Videos as Protest Communication: The Gezi Park Protest on YouTube Olu Jenzen, Itir Erhart, Hande Eslen-Ziya, Derya Güçdemir, Umut Korkut, and Aidan McGarry Chapter 11: The Activist Chroniclers of Occupy Gezi: Counterposing Visibility to Injustice Dan Mercea and Helton Levy Chapter 12: When Twitter got #woke: Black Lives Matter, DeRay McKesson, Twitter, and the Appropriation of the Aesthetics of Protest Farida Vis, Simon Faulkner, Safiya Umoja Noble and Hannah Guy PART III: CONCLUSION Chapter 13 Conclusion: Reflections on Protest and Political Transformation since 1789 Jim Aulich, Index.
