The Shift
Fifty years ago activism, especially in the form of protest, saw a dramatic change. Due to the Vietnam war young people from around the world gathered by the masses to protest the corruptness of government and the pointless bloodshed happening on the otherside of the world. Protesting was direct, people cared, and their point was made known. Now many still participate in this very way, but over the past several years people seem increasingly more accepting of governmental decisions. Is government just doing a better job, or are people today too lazy to question higher authority? Neither! We are currently in another transition from the peaceful well organized protests of the 60's to a more reserved anonymous form of activism that is literally taking over the streets of the world.
The New Face of Activism
Street Art comes in a variety of forms, and it is generally refered to as an act of "vandalism," but to many it is the purest form of art and activism still remaining. Advertisments fill the streets of the world, for the sole purpose of making more money. Street art sets out to crowd cities with a more meaningful original design than those used promote the idea of consumerism. Graffiti, stickers, posters, flash mobs, sculptures, and street installations each have the ability to raise political awareness in there own unique way. Some simply tell the viewer what they mean, while others present graphics which must be looked at, analyzed, and carefully considered. Street art serves to do more then just raise politcial awareness, it acts as a form of subvertising, culture jamming, adbusting, and as a way of reclaiming the streets and abolishing private property.
What is this?This is a class project for English 1101
made to show the power of street art as a form of protest and activism in the 21st century |
The Artists and their Motives:
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