Monday 28 October 2013

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - STUDY TASK 3



CHOSEN ADVERTISEMENT

Nuts: Sharks
Nestle 'Nuts' Advert - Link


ANALYSIS 

Throughout history, corporations have been creating preconceived conceptions regarding personal identity, and using them as a means of advertisement to promote commodities to specific audiences. Identity focused advertisement usually promotes an ideology of ‘difference’ and ‘elitism’ to make consumers feel superior to others who cannot afford the similar products. Furthermore, in modern capitalist society people create a self-image through the purchase and exhibition of commodities, this ideology is perpetuated in the advertisement industry through visual campaigns that focus on promoting commodity based identity. The following passage critically analyses a piece of corporate advertisement aiming to highlight and explain how and why different methods of persuasion have been utilized.

Firstly, the image chosen to reflect the identity driven ideology promoted by the advertising industry is part of a visual campaign by corporate giants Nestle. The series of printed posters was created to promote one of their nut based chocolate bars to a male audience, using an ideology of hyper-masculinity to arrest male attention. Throughout history a gender-stereotype has outlined males as the strong, heterosexual bread winner, often seen as dominant in physical stature, heroic and unafraid of violence. Nestles visual campaign plays off this ideology, showing an image of a well-built male in swimming shorts staring into shark infested waters. It is not unusual for advertisements to utilise these historical stereotypes as;

“Often the claims are based on an essentialist version of history and of the past, where history is constructed or represented as an unchanging truth.” (Woodward, 1999, p12)

By challenging male masculinity the Nestle advertisement implies that by consuming their product the audience will fit the gender-stereotype of a powerful heterosexual male. Moreover, selling the ideas that ‘Nuts’ bars make you more of a man helps the audience to construct their identity, as consuming the product provides personal reassurance regarding their desired self-image. Once this personal image has been attained identity related thoughts move from personal reassurance to a sense of otherness, which helps people to quickly define their identity from what they are not. This sense of difference is what helps people to feel individual and comfortable with their selected identity and social group; advertisers know this and therefore use it as a means of manipulation.

 “This marking of difference takes place both through the symbolic systems of representation, and through forms of social exclusion. Identity, then, is not the opposite of but depends on, difference. ” (Woodward, 1999, p29)

Differences are established through “classificatory systems” (Woodward, 1999, p29) which are created by people as a way of dividing social groups and sorting them into some sort of hierarchy. In modern capitalist society a person’s identity plays a vital role in their placement in this hierarchy, people in good shape, with lots of money and commodities are seen as successful and hence are highly regarded. Advertisements like the one by Nestle are created to sell the idea of the fearless heterosexual male, by eating that small nutty chocolate bar they can be distinguished as a hero and a man.

“Perceptions and understandings of the most material of needs are constructed through symbolic systems which mark out the sacred from the profane, clean from the unclean and the raw from the cooked.” (Woodward, 1999, p38)


To conclude, the Nestle advertisement was created to capture the attention of young men, using clever methods to promote a stereotypical hyper-masculine image of a courageous, powerful man. To attain this self-image unwitting participants simply need indulge in the   product advertised, if this message is successfully communicated young males will buy into the product profiting the corperation. Identity is formed through social and material representation, people often assert judgements regarding the differences between these symbols and therefore organise people into social hierarchies. The classification systems used to organise these social groups form what we know as identity, as without the classifications we would be unable to distinguish between all forms of individuality.




REFERENCING

  1. Woodward, K (ed. 1999) Identity and Difference, Sage, London.

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - IDENTITY

Otherness in visual representation:

  • Creation of Identities.
  • Concepts of ‘Otherness’.
  • Analysis of visual example.

After discussing last weeks lecture on identity we started the session by getting into pairs and creating a list of things that we use to identify ourselves as individuals.


What makes you, you?


  • Interests/hobbies.
  • Political views.
  • Personality traits.
  • Environment.
  • Geographical location.
  • Family/friends.
  • Looks/appearance.
  • Opinions.
  • Conscious understanding of humanity.
  • Education.
  • Aesthetic attraction.
  • Understanding of society.

We then reviewed peoples opinions as a class list, below are the things we didn't already have on our initial list;
  • Parents & how they raise you.
  • Diet.
  • Marital status.
  • Era/year you are born.

How do we express our identities?

  • Clothes.
  • Food
  • Possessions.
  • Opinions & how openly you express them.
  • Social media.
  • How you interact with people.
  • Visual media.
  • Appearance.

Again, we reviewed people opinions as a class;

  • Mannerisms. 
  • Hobbies.
  • Brands.
  • Accents.
  • Who you associate with.
All of the above terms are individual subjective qualities that help form our complex sense of self.



Jacques Lacan

The 'Hommelette' referrers to when you are born, unable to distinguish between yourself and other beings, new born babies are a scrambled mix of parts that they haven't yet learned to control.

The 'Mirror' stage referrers to the when a child sees itself for the first time and realises that it is an individual being. 

  • Human beings gain a sense of who we are from the reactions that we get from the individuals from the external world.

Identities & reactions are created for the purpose of recreating the psychological feelings created during the mirror stage of life.


Othering 

Referrers to when you compare yourself to other and highlights the differences, this action helps to create an individual identity and shows you what you are not. For example, a man could look at his expensive watch and come to the conclusion that he is not poor.









DESIGN PROCESS - RESPONSIVE - BRIEF TWO RESEARCH

The brief tasks participants with creating a poster for Chris Stapleton's newest single 'What are you Listening too?'. The poster will serve two main functions, to capture the essence of  the song and promote the artist at the same time. 

I want to collect a quick body of focused research into the song and song writer to help me understand the nature of the song, song writer and consequently how to promote it. The project needs a relatively quick turn around time due to the amount of work accumulating from other briefs. However, due to the nature of the brief and form of the outcome an in-depth body of research is not needed. 

I started my research by listening to Chris' song and noting down points of importance relating to the mood, lyrics and other aspects of the single that came to my attention. 








Next, I  analysed the lyrics of the song in more detail and highlighted aspects that could be utilised to visually represent the song;


I put that record on - Records and songs are mentioned throughout the song.
Girl you know what song - Insinuates that the song is about a girl, possibly an old lover. 
And I let it play again and again

Holding every line 
Take me back in time 
Yeah tonight I'm wondering

What are you listening to - Strong feelings toward 'Gril' are obviously still apparent.
Is it a cover band in some college town bar
Where it's na-na-na's and air guitars

Or is it something to get you through
Just a sad song playing on the radio station
Tears still fall and hearts still breakin' - These links suggest that the relationship has recently                                                                                                                                        ended, supporting my thoughts the song is about an                                                                                                                                        ex lover.

Cause you're hanging on 
Or is it a love song about someone new
What are you listening to - Unsure of whether his ex is moving on or holding on to memories of him.


I like to believe 
That you're just like me
Trying to figure out how a good thing goes bad - commenting on the broken relationship.
I don't know 
I can't let it go
Yeah it's about to drive me mad - Not knowing is causing him distress/anguish.


What are you listening to
Is it a cover band in some college town bar
Where it's na-na-na's and air guitars

And is it something to get you through
Just a sad song playing on the radio station
Tears still fall and hearts still breakin'

Cause you're hanging on
Or is it a love song about someone new
What are you listening to


Is it a feel good song gets you driving too fast
The one that gets you moving on pass to pass
Or the kind you can’t help singing along 
Singing woh-oh-oh-oh-woh

Is it headphones on on a downtown train
Or a window seat on an outbound plane
Is it LA sunny and Memphis blue
I wish I knew I wish I knew - The type of song the girl is listening too is an indication of her mood, the fact that Chris's song has a                                                               sad undertones suggests that he is upset about the situation.


What are you listening to
Is it a cover band in some college town bar
Where it's na-na-na's and air guitars

And is it something to get you through
Just a sad song playing on the radio station
Tears still fall and hearts still breakin'

Cause you're hanging on
Or is it a love song about someone new
What are you listening to

I put that record on
Girl you know what song
And I let it play again and again




SONG THEMES 

While analysing the lyrics of the song I came across certain themes that were apparent throughout the songs duration, these aspects hold relevance to the singles meaning and the messages communicated by the lyrics. As the themes are pretty definitive aspects of the song they could become a focus of the poster and used to represent and promote the single.

  • Records and songs are mentioned throughout the song.
  • The song is about Chris' ex-girlfriend/wife.
  • Chris is unsure of whether his ex is moving on or holding on to memories of him.
  • His Strong feelings toward the ex-lover are obviously still apparent.




CHRIS STAPLETON BIOGRAPHY 

I also decided to focus my research briefly on the musician himself to help me understand his origins and influences in more detail. At this stage in the brief I want to gain a complete understanding of both the song and musician as information relating to these aspects could later help to influence the posters theme and aesthetics or give the poster a new dimension. 

Unfortunately, as Chris is a relatively new artist there is not much biography relevant information available online. The only available source of information was Wikipedia, a site that is renowned for misinformation. Despite this, as my only research source I decided to use the information as a rough informative guide to Chris's career.


  • Chris Stapleton is an American country musician signed to Universal Music Group Nashville.
  • Chris is an established songwriter with four number one songs.
  • As a writer for Sea Gayle Music, over 150 of Stapleton's songs have appeared on albums by such artists like Adele.
  • Stapleton was born in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, but raised in Paintsville, Kentucky.
  • His father was a coal miner.
  • Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2001 to focus on songwriting and pursue a music career.
  • He was the lead singer and guitarist of the bluegrass band The SteelDrivers from 2008–2010.
  • Stapleton left The SteelDrivers in April 2010[2] and founded a rock band called The Jompson Brothers.
  • In 2013, Stapleton signed to Mercury Nashville as a solo artist.
  • His first single, "What Are You Listening To", was released on July 1, 2013.
Information link




VISUAL RESEARCH 

At the bottom of the brief an inspirational portrait photograph of Chris is given to participants, I believe that this suggests that artworks submitted could be based around or focus on the artist. Therefore, I collected a brief body of secondary visual research focusing on Chris, his appearance and how he chooses to present himself. 


The photo given on the brief.




A noticeable trait of his appearance is his long hair and admirable beard. 



After collecting a body of research into the meanings and themes communicated by Chris' single I felt informed enough about the songs concept and Chris' music to start generating my initial responses to the brief. 

Design Practice blog link - Chris Stapleton Poster.

Sunday 27 October 2013

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - STUDY TASK 2



CHOSEN ADVERT - Coca-cola Christmas Commercial.




Firstly, the Coca-Cola Corporation is one of the driving forces of consumerism, with an extensive multi-national advertising campaign the company influences a huge worldwide audience on a daily basis. The extensive communication networks Coke have established help promote their products to audiences across the globe, especially appealing to families and young children. This target audience is especially shocking when you look at the unhealthy contents of the product and the associated health disadvantages, which can include in some serious cases diabetes and heart problems. Despite this, you never see this information advertised with the same coverage and importance as the TV commercials and billboard advertisements promoting the products, as this could affect the most important thing of all, the company profit.

The Coca-Cola Corporation has been using clever advertising techniques to create a false desire for their products since as early as the 1800’s. Above is a more recent example, the renowned Coke Christmas TV commercial. Despite the fact that a large window of time has passed the company still utilizes classic means of manipulation to promote their products to modern consumer society. The following passage dissects the definitive seasonal coke advertisement, highlighting the publicity methods used to create the desire for the products consumption.

In the 1920’s Coca-Cola started their Christmas advertising campaign by placing illustrations of Santa-clause in magazines such as ‘The Saturday Evening Post’. Essentially the company started using Christmas, one the most globally celebrated holidays, as a method to help sell their product. Cokes campaign had tremendous effect on Christmas as we know it today; their rendition of Santa-clause illustrated him as a large, happy male, with a big long white beard clad in red, black and white. Before Coke portrayed him this way, images of Santa-clause often varied in detail, his build differed and he was often portrayed wearing green and black. Due to Coke’s historical influence on Santa’s image many people now have an instant association between Coca-Cola and Christmas. Additionally, Coke cleverly decided to utilize imagery of Santa as he is a figure that people from across the globe can relate to, people are much more likely to take notice of an advertisement if it relates to an interest they have.

“A person may notice a particular image or piece of information because it corresponds to some particular interest he has.”

Additionally, the advert also plays on the target audience’s upmost respect for Santa-Clause, a figure who is seen as happy, good willed and selfless. As Santa has been used to endorse the product people associate his good natured values with the Coca-Cola Corporation, this causes the audience to trust the company and purchase its products. The advertising campaign is one of the cleverest around, it uses the audience’s established knowledge of Santa to create a feeling of security amongst its audience. Moreover, as Santa-clause is a fictional figure Coke pay no royalties for one of the biggest product endorsements in modern advertising.

 “Publicity needs to turn to its own advantage, the traditional education of the average spectator-buyer.”

Both the audience’s memory and expectations are stimulated by the classic coke advertisement, which is shown annually a few weeks before Christmas. The commercials content is rarely changed and therefore, upon first seeing the advert the viewer’s memories are instantly triggered, they are reminded of Christmas, the Coke product and the festive times that are to come. Unfortunately, this has caused many people to associate the start of Christmas with the first showing of the advert, causing an expectation of its broadcast every year. This is some very clever advertising on Cokes behalf, as they have managed to get people to directly associate one of the biggest holidays of the year with their product, despite the fact that traditionally they have nothing to do with each other.

“One may remember or forget these messages but briefly one takes them in, and for a moment they stimulate the imagination by way of either memory or expectation.”

Furthermore, not only has the commercial cleverly adapted an association with Christmas, but it also sells viewers the idea of a perfect family orientated holiday. Throughout the duration of the advert images of overly excited children and joyous families are presented to the audience, all can be seen running out of their houses to catch their first glimpse of the extravagantly decorated coke trucks. The accumulation of jubilant family emotion has been caused by the arrival of the coke product, which not only symbolises the beginning of Christmas, but also the strong bond shared between family members during the festive season, or so they would like us to think.

 “Publicity is always about the future buyer. It offers him an image of himself made glamorous by the product or opportunity it is trying to sell.”

By showing the audience images of a perfect Christmas they feel that to achieve the same standard of happiness the advertised product must be bought. In this case, for families to attain festive happiness they must buy Coca-Cola.  

To conclude, a like the examples of consumerist publicity given is John Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’, the Coca-Cola Corporation have cleverly created an association between their product and the globally recognised Christmas celebration. Utilizing methods of manipulation the TV commercial successfully communicates manufactured glamour to all members of the family, tying in notions that all people aim to attain such as; a cheerful family, excited festive children and the idea of a perfect white Christmas. By relating their product to these ideas the concept of Christmas and Santa clause become an advertisement in themselves, promoting the product through the established association between the festive holiday and the Coke beverage.



Harvard Referencing


Berger, J. (1972) 'Ways of Seeing', 1st Edition, Penguin Books.

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE 2 - CONSUMERISM

We started the session by recapping some of the points made in last weeks lecture covering consumerism. 




Ne    Next, we were split into groups of five to analyse a section of  Berger, J. (1972) 'Ways of Seeing'. Richard asked us to highlight specific points of interest related to our recent discussions on consumerism. 

         Below are the notes made during the session;







         After debating various parts of the text we presented our most important points to the group;
         

  •          Firstly, the two images shown form a stark contrast to one and other, the first image shows a poverty stricken family from a third world country, and the other displays is a sexually charged advert promoting some sort of toiletry product. The advert, placed in the magazine after the first article helps take the audiences focus away from the harsh nature and shocking truths communicated in the article. This creates a distraction that distances the audience from the problems that could be solved if enough people decided to help.
  •          "Publicity is essentially eventless" - We chose to look at this quote as we think that it is making a comment on the fact that advertisements never react or acknowledge real world events. Instead, the aim to stay in a repetitive limbo, producing endless adverts that aim to distract viewers from their ordinary life problems, and entice them into a life of commodity ruled consumerism.
  •          This idea is strengthened with the quote; "situated in a future continually deferred". My group came to the conclusion that 'future continually deferred' is highlighting the constant state of flux that publicity creates for itself. By keeping people trapped in this endless cycle they begin to believe that happiness is achieved with commodities, and so repeat the cycle of endless product consumption.









Friday 25 October 2013

DESIGN PROCESS - RESPONSIVE - BRIEF THREE RESEARCH

After reading through the brief I started collecting an initial body of research into 'The Arctic Thirty' campaign and the Greenpeace movement to help me gain an informed understanding of the current situation. As I am fairly uninformed with the details surrounding the Arctic 30 movement I will research into the story and on going situation. 

To help give further context to my research I will also research into Greenpeace, a charity that I am accustomed with but know little about. I believe that understanding the charities origins, history and ethos will help me to create an outcome with more relevance to the campaign in which it stems from. Moreover, as mentioned in the brief our response should take the form of a type of protest, as a print focused designer I want to create a response that is relevant to my design practice, and so I will also research into printed forms protest, these could range from posters to billboard advertisements. 

Once again I am looking for a quick turn around with this brief as I am currently very busy with work from various other projects. Therefore, I want to collect a brief body of research to inform me about the specifics of The Arctic Thirty campaign and the supporting charity. As the outcome is being created as a form of protest to support the campaign an understanding of what is happening is the most important outcome of the research. 



THE ARCTIC 30 STORY 

Thirty people are behind bars in Russia following a peaceful protest against oil drilling in the Arctic. They took action because they know it is wrong to exploit melting ice to drill for more of the oil that is warming our world. The Arctic 30, including a freelance photographer and a freelance videographer, have been refused bail and charged with piracy. It is an absurd accusation that carries a maximum 15 year jail sentence.


PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

Below are some promotional videos highlighting the movement that aims to attract the focus of the world. 

  • This video showcase the reaction to the arctic 30 situation, all around the world people are united in fighting for the activists freedom.
  • A lot of the visual media showcased in the video contains emotive words such as 'Free', this is something to take note of when designing my response.
  • Moreover, the current posters display images of the 30 people currently detained, this helps people uninformed of the matter see that there are real people at steak.
  • Finally, a lot of focus is also put on the fact that 'Activism is not a crime' and the fact that these activists were not doing anything wrong. 





This next video introduces the problem and informs viewers about what has happened.

  • 30 Activists seized at gunpoint after a peaceful protest. 
  • All are currently in jail in Russia.
  • Video focuses on the movement behind saving the arctic, and the activists currently incarcerated. 
  • 'Defending the arctic is not a crime.'


VISUAL RESEARCH - CURRENT VISUAL CAMPAIGN 

  • Assorted posters focus on the word 'FREE' and showcase a portrait of each crew member to help create an emotional link between those detained and the audience. This emotive link is strengthened with the involvement of the activists names.
  • The current posters are redundant in their communication.
  • The small white birds that can be seen in the photograph reflect the Greenpeace logo.

  • DIY posters made by protesters. 
  • White bird logo can be noticed again.
  • There is a green colour scheme running throughout Greenpeace's visual media, my response should reflect this.

  • This poster also involves the Greenpeace bird symbol.
  • Clean, legible sans-serif typeface used.



VISUAL RESEARCH - THE ARCTIC 30

  • The thirty strong crew is formed from members hailing from 17 different countries around the world.

VISUAL RESEARCH - RELATED IMAGERY 

  • This is the Greenpeace ship that the activists were aboard during the protest. 

This image is being used as a banner on Greenpeace's website.

  • Green colour scheme used again, green is a colour commonly associated with environmentally friendly movements and companies.
  • Bird logo with rainbow.



40 YEARS OF GREENPEACE HISTORY


Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)


  • September 1971. Greenpeace co-founders Bob Hunter on left at the helm of the Phyllis Cormack (also called "Greenpeace") together with Ben Metcalfe, en route to Amchitka. The very first Greenpeace voyage, departed Vancouver on the 15th September 1971, with the aim of halting nuclear tests on Amchitka Island by sailing into the restricted area.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)

  • June 1982. Greenpeace takes action against ships intending to dump British, Belgian and Swiss nuclear waste into the Atlantic. The Dutch ship Rijnborg is attempting to dump 7,000 tonnes of waste when Greenpeace arrives on the scene - the ship's crew respond by dropping waste barrels onto the protesting Greenpeace inflatables. In early 1983 The British and Dutch announce a ten year moratorium on the dumping of waste and in 1993 they permanently ban the disposal of industrial and radioactive waste at sea.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • The Rainbow Warrior was invited to the Pacific island of Rongelap, where the fallout from US atmospheric nuclear tests was causing widespread health problems. The residents no longer wanted to stay on their contaminated island and asked Greenpeace to evacuate them to the island of Mejato.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • June 1985. After the Rongelap evacuation the Rainbow Warrior headed to New Zealand, from where she planned to travel to Moruroa Atoll to protest French nuclear tests. Before departure from Aukland Harbour she was bombed and sunk by members of the French secret service, killing photographer Fernando Pereira.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • Greenpeace establishes a base in Antarctica to protest against various international projects including mineral exploration in the area. World Park Base could only be resupplied every 6 months. Once the resupply mission leaves, the crew were on their own. The campaign ends in victory when the members of the Antarctic Treaty agree to a 50 year ban on all mineral exploration. Mission accomplished, Greenpeace dismantle their Antarctic base.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • April-June 1995. Greenpeace occupies the offshore oil platform Brent Spar to campaign for a ban on the dumping at sea of offshore installations in the North Sea.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • April 1998. By exposing environmental problems, Greenpeace pictures make people decide: ‘Are you for this, or against it?.’ A Greenpeace campaigner witnesses a forest fire in the Amazon. These fires destroy vast areas of rainforest every year. Often they are set deliberately to open up new land for farming.


Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • December 1998. A Greenpeace balloon with the slogan "Nuclear Disarmament Now!" floats above the famous Taj Mahal in India in a protest against nuclear testing in India.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • March 2005. A small child at a Chinese scrapyard. Household electronics contain a wide range of toxic chemicals. When these products reach scrapyards in Asia and Africa, the concentration of chemicals can be extremely hazardous.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • January 2006. Greenpeace's campaign to save the whales begain in 1973, it continues today. Here, activists use the inflatable boats to place their own bodies between the whales and the harpoon to hinder the whaling ships. 

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • May 2007 Greenpeace climbers occupy a 100 metre-high crane at the construction site of Olkiluto 3, Finland's fifth nuclear reactor.
Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • December 2008. A Greenpeace supporter joins a vigil outside the Japanese embassy in Stockholm protesting the arrest of two Japanese activists for taking action to expose corruption at the heart of the Japanese whaling industry. 2.9 million supporters sign petitions in support of the ‘Tokyo Two’.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • December 2009. The Petermann Glacier in Northern Greenland was expected to calve an iceberg the size of Manhattan. Greenpeace supported independent scientists in researching the physical processing leading to the glaciers acceleration. By canoeing 25km along the melt while carrying a radar from a string of four kayaks scientists were able to map the glaciers thickness. In the event, the glacier did not break up until 2010. Greenpeace ships have hosted many scientific missions around the world.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • October 2009. Greenpeace activists create the rice art project in Thailand by planting many different types of organic rice in a rice field. The finished art celebrates Thailand’s rich heritage, and depicts farmers harvesting rice. It also serves as a reminder to governments of the need to protect the world’s most important food crop from genetic engineering. Sustainable farming methods and natural crops can easily provide enough food for the world’s population. Greenpeace campaigns for the adoption of sustainable, healthy and ethical farming practices across the world.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • November 2008. By securing himself to the anchor chain, this activist is delaying the departure of the tanker Gran Couva. The ship is carrying 27,000 tonnes of palm oil to the Netherlands. His banner reads “No more forests or peat land for palm oil”

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • August 2009. Sarah Obama, the wife of US President Barack Obama's grandfather, turns on the lights after a Greenpeace team installed a solar power system at her home in Kogelo Village. The solar installations are part of a 20 day renewable energy workshop hosted by Greenpeace's Solar Generation with 25 participants from the Kibera Community Youth Programme and community members of Nyang'oma Kogelo.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • December 2009. In the face of angry police and workers, the only protection for this activist, who is chained to a bulldozer, is the presence of a photographer and the conviction that their own peaceful actions will keep the situation calm.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • May 2011. Supported by the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace experts conduct independent radiation sampling along the Fukushima coastline. In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster these tests show how inadequate the government’s response to the disaster has been. In response to this, the Japanese government institutes its own programme of checks.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • July 2010. Greenpeace activists being attacked by fishermen as they attempt to free endangered blue fin tuna from nets in the Mediterranean Sea. Greenpeace campaigns for the establishment of marine reserves, national parks at sea closed to fishing and industry.Only by creating these protected areas can we guarantee that there will be plenty of fish in the sea for future generations, and that the amazing variety of life in the ocean will be protected.

Nuclear Testing Action Amchitka - Canada - (1971)
  • July 2011. The hull of the new Greenpeace flagship, Rainbow Warrior III on dry ground at the Fassmer Shipyard in Berne. The Rainbow Warrior is Greenpeace's first purpose-built vessel, and will be officially launched in Autumn 2011.


unREPORTED INSPIRATION

While browsing the competition website I came across an inspiration section in which the competition hosts provide participants with work examples that illustrate the type of work they want to see from submissions. 




After clicking on images you are taken through to the source webpage, I decided to follow a few and assess the inspirations provided.


Performance - Human Trafficking

Protesting Human Trafficking
  • Instead of using printed or digital media the above protest relies on a physical performance, the concept has been designed to shock people and raise awareness of human trafficking. 
  • I believe that the protest is successful as its shocking nature captures peoples attention and causes them to think about the many negatives surrounding human trafficking. 



Poster - The Department of Fill in the Blank

Steve Lambert The Department of Fill in the Blank photo

Steve Lambert The Department of Fill in the Blank photo
  • The above image displays printed poster based protest that allows users to interact with its contents and design their own 'United states department of...' 
  • I believe the poster is successful as it allows users to interact with the contents of the outcome, consider the messages communicated and also simultaneously promotes creativity. 




PRINTED PROTESTS

After informing myself about the specifics of The Arctic Thirty campaign and the history of Greenpeace I felt informed enough to start progressing with my research into printed forms of protest. 


T-shirt



Signs



Banners




Posters




Stickers




Paste-up artwork