Egypt protests
A tweet
* "I am a writer and I just want to tell people in the free world who are afraid that Islamic fanatics can take over, that this will not happen in Egypt. When Egyptians enjoy real freedom, they will never let fanaticism to take over." *
For those of you unfamiliar with Twitter(1), it is a social-network, micro-blogging service that is becoming an entity in itself. Though attempts have been made to quash it or kill it, none have been able to silence it. It has become a means of expression for many, writers, artist and others alike. When thinking upon tweets, I am reminded of a sonnet or haiku which have boundaries or structures. They could be seen as limiting in one way, as they act, exist like edge of a canvas. I see them as challenging, as I have yet to find the limit of a canvas. The written word will be just one way the protests in Egypt will be portrayed through the arts, be it tweet, prose, blog or newspaper, the event will be a feast for many artists of varying disciplines. Many artists wish to comment on the world, it affects on them or others. Events that change the life of even one person are like a lovers call to the artists mind.
I am not writing this with any in-depth knowledge of the politics of Egypt, far from it in fact, but instead “hand on heart“, I write this as an ignorant observer. The Event at first glance may seem unrelated to art in every way possible but I argue that the protest itself is art and also a catalyst for the creation of further art. Some of these future art pieces we may not see for years, decades, and more might be made after all our protests against the eternal sleep have been given to the winds.
The relationship between The Media, The Event and The Arts is one that intrigues me, and the more I investigate, the stronger the connection becomes. The cyclical nature of some images from front-page headliners, moving to features in the culture section and back to front page is not without precedent (Picasso's Guernica is one such example http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6583639.stm ). The New York Times is currently featuring information about the museum in Auschwitz 60 years after the holocaust. http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/index.html
Other connections can be found. The first Flash-mob (2)was created in Manhattan in May 2003, by Bill Wasik, a senior editor of Harper's Magazine . I have long associated Editors as curators, selecting images and prose for public viewing but never as creators of art experiences. Flash-mobs are usually planned by telecommunications (Twitter or Facebook for example) similar to the protests in Egypt. The term Flash-Mob is usually given to pointless gatherings and not to ones such as protests but where do we draw the line. When did something have to be pointless to be art? It was organized in the exact same way, but were the intentions different? Did the “million man march” happen? Numbers vary from source to source but does it matter? Do we judge an artist or group by their intentions, processes or their displayed work? This was an experience an event, did everyone have the same one... definitely not. But do we ever experience a piece of art exactly the same way as another wood?
The gathering was perhaps intended to be a Smart-mob (3), a peaceful intelligent protest but it was disrupted by other mobs (I refer here to the Police presence and the Camel Owners Group) with their opposing views and intentions. This is not the first time artists have argued, but perhaps it could be viewed as a first among “art-collective-entities”, clashing over styles and ideals.
The Passion of the gathering not its Pointlessness made it art.
A further connection between the media and art is open to discussion.
As I looked at coverage of the event in newspapers and news programmes from all over the world it was obvious the skill involved, by the writers, the photographers and the editors. The selection process of all is as result of the intent, to make something for others to interact with. I was intrigued to watch on Sky News that Egyptian protesters were refusing to comment to their reporters because of how they were portraying the event. They were not just reporting/observing but as we know they were relaying the information in a packaged way. In fact a lot of their coverage was set in a triptych style, similar to my own first love, painting. This made it a very different viewing experience.
Again I would like to point out that I am focusing here with the presentation of the information and the thinking behind that. We are no longer so innocent that we believe what is reported “Weapons of mass deception rather than destruction are more easily found”. Despite my cynical tone I am not concerning myself here with the politics behind the selection and packaging of images by any news group but just pointing to the fact that it happens. Similar to any artists process, “What we put in, versus what we leave out”. The mood of each image or article can vary from paper to paper, programme to programme and country to country for any number of reasons. Some focused on the negative angle some focused on hope. As consumers of these packages we should be conscious of this as we go back time and again to the writers we associate with, and similar publications. Unlike The Protest Art earlier we can enjoy this from the comfort of our own home.
“I don’t know much about the news but I know what I like”.
The images and information that filter out to artists from the media are often the source of further artworks. Iconic images are a stimulus for continuous creation. Pictures of the protestor in Tiananmen Square have been elevated to usage at an almost exhaustive level, as has the image of the tortured Iraq prisoner. They arguably have become contemporary icons. One could say certain artists scour the news like ambulance chasing lawyers in order to create the next icon of a human experience. Is it wrong or is it an essential part of being an artist, holding up a mirror to society? Does it make it good, bad or relevant art? Goya’s painting “The third of May 1808” ticks all the boxes, a brilliant piece that is relevant to art and history alike. We will not have to wait long for this event to inspire contemporary artists as images are already seeping on to the net. http://www.artcriesout.com/homepage.html
The only issue with this event is the time-line, when did it start and when will it end? Some argue it started decades ago and may never end. I have focused on the few weeks in late January, early February 2011 as the world watched and recorded made judgements and were inspired. We must record our existence, as it is our nature to be creative and selective in every aspect of our lives. The selection process can be the art itself. The action or process can be the art and resulting words and images are surely art, and yet....
Every time a camera’s shutter closes the debate of the thinking behind it opens.
Is it simply a record of an event or is it art?
- Twitter is a website, owned and operated by Twitter Inc., which offers a social networking and micro blogging service, enabling its users to send and read messages called tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the user's profile page. Tweets are publicly visible by default; however, senders can restrict message delivery to just their followers. Users may subscribe to other users' tweets—this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers. (wikipedia )
- Flash-Mobs: A flash mob (or flashmob) is a term coined in 2003 to denote a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment and/or satire. Flash mobs are organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails. (wikipedia )
- A Smart mob is a group that, contrary to the usual connotations of a mob, behaves intelligently or efficiently because of its exponentially increasing network links. This network enables people to connect to information and others, allowing a form of social coordination. (wikipedia )
