So, what is Occupy Wall Street anyways?

The easiest way for me to define OWS is really difficult to define. It seems that every part of the definition I think up comes with about a thousand stipulations: do we look at OWS as part of a global protest or do we limit it to groups that claim the title “occupy,” do we measure its successes by policy changes or by the movement’s spread across borders? There are a few things everyone seems to agree on:

It didn’t start with Zuccotti Park. OWS is part of a larger global protest or protest movement that represents the frustrations of the underprivileged many in regards to the privileged and powerful few – bankers, dictator-like leaders, whoever. Think of my Shepard Fairey post Part 3

The global movement and OWS use new media and social media tools to spread the movement.Another post on our blog compares its global spread to that of the anti-globalization movements in the 90′s. The 2011 movement of anti-capitalism (a feature of OWS according to this post and many OWS protesters) has an ally in the internet and social media that wasn’t so prevalent in the 90s.

In fact, Time‘s Person of the Year article claimed that these movements have partly redefined the terms “globalized” and “viral.” They say that globalized no longer simply means economy, it can also mean this globalized movement and globalized feeling; and viral is no loner cute videos of pets or people doing embarrassing things, it can be a protest or a plan or a news story. Richin’s hyperphotography shows that OWS and the global movement have the internet’s cubist linking ability to thank for some of its successes. (Richin) See practically all of the Shepard Fairey posts, but most notably Part 2.

Part of this “viral” protest makes OWS into a kind of social meme. Celebrities follow it. Through their endorsement, their fans may join the cause or at least learn about it through “weak ties” as discussed in “Unreciprocated Ties.” “Occupy” is an advertising scheme too – this Tide advertisement copies the “99%” meme.

And, many of us have seen the pepper spraying cop, who has an entire tumblr dedicated to him. In a post about this, and other images from the OWS movement, J Hallward talks about a  comparison between the pepper-spraying event at UC Davis and the Kent State Massacre images. Though, obviously, the Kent State Massacre was a much more serious incident, the blog post does bring up another point about OWS.

It isn’t a new occurrence. Yes, OWS, the Arab Spring, Tunisia, and Moscow are recent events. These types of protests, however, are not. The Times notes the phenomenon of protest history.

Ever since  modern republican democracy was invented, astonishing protests and uprisings have spiked and spread once every half-century or so… It happens almost like clockwork, yet each time people are freshly shocked and bamboozled. (Abouizeid 89)

The article mentions the American, French and Haitian revolutions of 1848, various revolutions in 1910, and of course, the 60s. And they had art too:

1960′s anti-war image

So, what is Occupy Wall Street anyways?
It is a part of a movement that shows the frustration of the “common man” against the people who supposedly have the power, like so many that came before it. But, due to the proliferation of internet usage and social media, the movement has gone global in new way. Its images, ideas, and messages have gone viral.

-Evelyn

Shepard Fairey and OWS: the Protester as the person of the year – Part 3

Times Magazine declared the Protester as the person/people of the year. That article and the issue cover, by our dear Shepard Fairey, created heaps of hype in the blogoshpere. From criticisms to stalking the protester whose face graces the magazine,  it has certainly been an eventful ride. But, the image and the Times article actually offers a decent portrait of the OWS movement.

The Protester
Shepard Fairey

Upon first seeing the image, I was interested in its lack of specificity. The original image, shot by Ted Soqui of LA Weekly, captures Sarah Mason, a LA protester who has been arrested for her efforts. The collage images, however, represent various protests from around the world, including Egypt and Russia. Fairey and Time Magazine, which provided the collage images for Fairey to use, are saying that OWS isn’t just about the US.  It is a global movement.

Moreover, the article explains that the various global protests are a network. Connected, however loosely. Greece was inspired by los Indignados of Spain. The Wall Street starters learned from other protests. It all started in the Arab World. For OWS, the original email from Adbusters called for a Tahir Square for the US. (Abouzeid) In an interview with the Huffington Post, Fairey says of the collage background:

With the Time cover I wanted to capture the spirit of defiance that any protester must possess in the face of arrest or worse. To convey that the cover was about worldwide protests I created a collage of protests from around the globe that is used tonally in the background. I’m a supporter of Occupy, but I thought it was important to recognize that protest was a global phenomenon this year. I think the collage helps to put across that cumulative effect.

But there are problems with the image as well. Again (I seem to talk about this in all my posts), Richin’s idea of Hyperphotography becomes a problem. The seemingly unending curiosity of human beings has turned the anonymous protester featured on the cover into Sarah Mason, about whom you may learn way too much information via LA Weekly’s blog. Part of me doesn’t want to link the page out of respect for the woman’s privacy, but part of me realizes that is a citation faux-pax.

Sarah Mason Portrait
Ted Soqui

Is this LA protester the face of all protesters worldwide? Maybe, maybe not. No, her credit card debt fueled protesting isn’t the reason that Los Indignados became frustrated, but she is an average woman seeking her frustrations. Fairey says in a Times tumblr post “A lot of [the protesters] are just regular folks who feel dissatisfied.” That certainly describes Mason.

So, what does “The Protester” say about OWS?
The image itself and the article that it illustrates indicate that it is a global protest of regular people, a network, a movement.
The story of Sarah Mason shows that it is a protest composed mostly of regular people who are dissatisfied. In other words, Fairey finally seems to have gotten his OWS propaganda-art close to right.

-Evelyn

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/12/shepard_fairey_time_person_of_the_year_occupy_la_protester.php

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/12/sarah_mason_time_protester_photos_occupy_la.php

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/14/shepard-fairey-designs-ti_n_1149680.html

http://timemagazine.tumblr.com/post/14214199000/shepard-fairey-talks-about-creating-times-person-of

Three Little Pigs ad from The Guardian

Remind anyone of OWS and Occupy Our Homes, the Occupy group fighting against foreclosures? Maybe a little?

Even if it doesn’t remind you directly, it does speak to the prevalence of social media in OWS while employing some imagery of the protests (i.e. the protesters running into police lines.)

Good job Guardian. Well played.

-Evelyn

Shepard Fairey and OWS Part 2

"You are Invited" by Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey, artist and supporter of OWS, has created several artworks of and for the Occupy movement. According to a CNN article by Michelle Elam of Stanford University, one of Fairey’s artworks will bring African-Americans to the movement. She gives “You are Invited” much praise, comparing its imagery to the Black Panther movement, and touting its ability to bring racial unity. Elam says:

Indeed, some have called for more black people’s involvement in the movement, but Fairey’s “You Are Invited” goes beyond an appeal for and to black people. Imagine its even more revolutionary effect as a poster carried by people of all backgrounds and social position, symbolically calling for a pan-ethnic alliance.

Simone Wilson of L.A. Weekly questions whether or not the image will help revive the OWS movement and she is right to question. As one of the followers indicated on that very post, Fairey appears to have taken the image of the woman from a vintage Newport cigarette ad. This happening,  where an image’s meaning might be complicated or subverted by linkage on the internet, is discussed by Fred Richin as “Hyperphotography.” (Richin)

The woman in this image is not empowered, she is not independent, and she certainly is not standing up against the marginalization of her race. She is subject to the good looks and “cool” of the man before her. This knowledge may subvert Elam’s claims about the power of this image.

Seeing as OWS has struggled with its lack of equal representation, Fairey’s image could end up as salt in the wound. In another article on our site, cjohn1789 even goes so far as to question “Is OWS Racist?” The article references a survey done around the time of the “invitation” by Fordham University (October 14-18 2011) which indicates that 68% of those surveyed in Zuccotti Park were white.The article concludes that OWS is not necessarily racist, but its racial representation is very disproportionate.

It seems like minority populations didn’t receive the invite, or might not have received it well.

-Evelyn

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/01/opinion/elam-occupy-art/index.html

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/10/shepard_fairey_occupy_wall_street.php

http://owsanalysis.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/is-ows-racist/

http://www.fordham.edu/images/academics/graduate_schools/gsas/elections_and_campaign_/occupy%20wall%20street%20survey%20results%20102611.pdf

Disorderly World, Disorderly Politics

A New Politics for a Disorderly World
by Carne Ross, former diplomat for the British foreign service

This is a great read of someone with political experience who agrees with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Ross praises the participatory democracy, the personal politics, and the better culture that he claims OWS promotes. If the world is disorderly, should its governments match it?

by Darren Ell

-Evelyn

Shepard Fairey and OWS: is his art helping the movement? – Part 1

Shepard Fairey, arguably one of the most popular American artists of our time (or at least one of the most visible), announces support for the Occupy Wall Street movement on the his  website. Although it seems obvious that his support of the movement would assist the movement in terms of popularity and visibility, one particular artwork actually hindered the movement by presenting the wrong message to its viewers.

Original Print by Shepard Fairey

Fairey’s original image raised concerns within the OWS movement, which considers itself non-partisan. This original print directly addresses the President in addition to mimicking the iconic HOPE poster that Fairey created in support of Obama’s campaign. Upon receiving a letter from an anonymous OWS protester that expressed concern with the image, Fairey indicated that he thinks that President Obama could be an ally to the OWS protesters, while the anonymous protester points out that Obama has gotten much monetary support from Wall Street and that he is not supported by OWS. The anonymous letter continues to offer suggestions for Fairey, including changing the message from “Hope” to “We are Hope”. They also suggest moving away from the Obama imagery all together with the sentiment that “To reduce us to an Obama re-election campaign will not help anyone. Our political system is corrupt and broken. As naive as it may sound, we have to stop looking to leaders and we must be the change.”

Interestingly, Fairey makes very few of these changes. He removes the direct appeal to the president, changing the sentiment from “Mr President, we hope you’re on our side” to “We are the hope”, and adds “Occupy Wall Street” onto the 99% button.

Revised Version

Fairey’s written response to the message gets a little defensive; he states that “I did not make the Occupy HOPE image to become THE image for Occupy. I believe very strongly in the Occupy movement, but I’m looking more at the politics of the entire nation than the politics within Occupy.” Yet, with his level of fame and the influence of the internet, how could Fairey NOT expect this image to be important?

Interestingly, besides this specific post, I was unable to find the poster in Fairey’s archives on obeygiant.com. The original poster was not found on Fairey’s website at all.

As much as Fairey supports the OWS movement through various posters, this particular poster became a big concern for many OWS protesters and may have led to some confusion should viewers make the connection of this poster with the Obama HOPE poster.

-Evelyn

The Hunger Games and the 99%

Hunger Games and the 99%

“Gossip Girl” celebrity Penn Badgley sees parallels between the Hunger Games and the Occupy Wall Street Movement according to the Huffington Post. The movie (alas, I have not read the books) definitely explores the many of the dichotomies that OWS challenges: rich v. poor, the in-power v. the relatively powerless, the normalcy v. extravagance. Are the books and movies really an allegory for the OWS movement?

Yes and no. The class struggle is obvious. The disparity between the affluent and flamboyant capital and the impoverished District 11 are undeniable. The website Film School Rejects discusses the possibility of a parallel but decides that overall, the film does not support a particular movement. Rather, it channels the age-old theme in literature of the underdog standing up against opposition.

Film School Rejects states that “The signs [of anti-government and anti-centralization] are all there, easily perceived on the surface, but what’s interesting is that those messages seem to be malleable depending on what your viewpoint already tends to be. From Occupy to the Tea Party to plain old classic revolution, there’s something for everyone.”

In fact, the movie is more reminiscent of two short stories, The Most Dangerous Game and “The Lottery” than the OWS movement. Again Film School Rejects comes through, mentioning a Salon article that relates “What came before ‘The Hunger Games’”. This article by Andrew O’Hehir mentions the Most Dangerous Game among other literature as precursors to the popular book and movie series. The humans-hunting-humans for some sick enjoyment being present in Most Dangerous Game and The Hunger Games. I also liken the movie to “The Lottery,” the short story by Shirley Jackson in which the winner of the lottery (whoever picks the paper with the black dot) is stoned to death by their neighbors and family.  Sounds pretty similar to the system that decides the tributes for the hunger games. ”The Most Dangerous Game” was published in 1924 and “The Lottery” in 1848. In other words, these ideas have been around in literature for a long time.

So, The Hunger Games may not be a direct allegory to the OWS movement; But, it does engender some of the themes that OWS supports, including equity, civic justice, and standing up against the government; just as much literature has done before it.  In fact, the first book upon which the movie is based was published in 2007, three years before the beginning of the OWS movement. It just so happens that the movie premiered after OWS began.

Fight the man
Evelyn the Grey

http://occupywallst.org/about/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/21/hunger-games-penn-badgley-occupy-wall-street_n_1371270.html?ref=occupy-wall-street#s776576&title=Darren_Criss

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/from-queen-esther-to-occupy-5-ways-to-interpret-the-hunger-games.php

http://www.salon.com/2012/03/14/what_came_before_the_hunger_games/

Linkage Does More than Complicate Meaning

In “Toward a Hyperphotography” Fred Richin discusses the Cubist nature of internet images. Internet allows for a unique opportunity to piece information together by linking websites and images. He argues that this cubistic quality of  internet imagery complicates viewers’ understanding of images by adding additional information that can subvert or complicate their original purpose.

Richin only touches upon one of the qualities  linkage. With the example of an image found while searching ”occupy wall street art” in google search, one discovers that this cubism goes further to help a movement and to promote individual success.

by Guy Denning

This image by Guy Denning comes up on the google image search. On this post he is described as  ”Guy Denning Homeless Artist From Occupy Wall Street” The website from which this image comes offers a link to another. This new website offers the story of Denning, a self-taught artist who participated in the Occupy movement and illustrated some of its imagery. More linking exists and the information about Denning and the Occupy movement proliferates.

A link to Dennings’s youtube account provides videos of his process. He has 91,571 video views (and counting). One can purchase his artworks through another link to his website.

The benefits of such linkage work both ways. Those interested in his approach to art might become interested in OWS, thus helping the movement. Those interested in OWS might become more interested in his art, therefore helping the artist.

This example shows that image linkage promotes the success of individuals and interest in OWS while complicating meaning simultaneously.

see:  Ritchin, Fred. “Toward a Hyperphotography,” After&Photography. W.W. Norton & Company, New York: 2009.

Occupy Wall Street

by AlexandraClotfelter