Project+1

Revolution(s of 2011)

All pictures I looked for are somehow related to the idea of revolution, and more particularly the revolutions throughout the Arab world of 2011. The first pictures is of Copernicus, the famous astronomer who studied the movements of planets around the sun. This is a 'pun' - Copernicus is not related to the concept of revolution as a protest, but rather the scientific term - although both ideas express in someway a turn around, and a change in situation. The pictures of Ben Ali of Tunisia represents the tyrannical regimes, abusing of their power for their own benefits. Ben Ali's picture, in a royal and luxurious setting reflects this. An other picture depicts protests. 3 of the pictures I chose are focused on the new media (twitter, television and notably the AlJazeera news channel) which were incredibly effective in galvanizing the revolutions of the Arab world. They highlight the media's crucial role. These are notably ways through which I followed the news of the revolutions. The poster of the russian propaganda shows the importance of the media, from a different perspective, in order to manipulate the public opinion Pictures of the Iranian revolution represent the world's fears of the past, which arose following the toppling of the friendly, pro-Western regimes. These fears caused suspicions of the protesters and their goals. Another picture represent the graffiti found in the street, and another the propaganda linked to these revolutions, (whether before or afterwards).The graffiti, which depicts a reboot button represents the hopes of "the people" (in arabic underneath) for a better future, more accountability of their governments and better citizenship. Finally, I included a picture of Bouazizi's mother. Bouazizi was the symbol and the spark of the revolution, when he lit himself on fire to protest against his regime's actions.