05 introduction 06 - 09 the fallacy of going to an art school faced by art students 10 - 13 the role of protest visuals
14 - 19 the importance of protest visuals, posters and signs
The fallacy of an art school (TFOAS) is a parody of protest visuals. TFOAS aims to raise an awareness, and to voice out against the myths and misconceptions of going to an art school. But most importantly, through protest art, TFOAS would provide an opportunity to explore the elements found and used in protest visuals. This guidebook is not used to teach you on how to protest, but rather, it aims to showcase the elements and the process of making protest visuals in which you can then amplify and apply on any other choosen topic that you would like to raise on.
A fallacy or misconception, is a view or an opinion that may seem offensive because it is based on a faulty thinking or understanding. There are many misconceptions and myths around art and design education. Being an artist, designer or even an art student, we’ve all probably have encountered people who don’t believe in art school. From a survey that TFOAS have conducted, these are the myths and misconceptions that majority of art students have encountered : When asked if they have ever encountered any misconceptions about going to an art school, 100% of the surveyors said that they have encountered these misconceptions being said to them. Majority of the remarks that they had encountered were based around how attending an art school wouldn’t secure them a good future and a good career. Other common misconceptions that art students encountered were also in regards on how art students are deemed as someone that is either very rich or someone that isn’t as intellectual as how people would deemed students from a math, science or law courses are, therefore resorting the art students to attend an art school instead, where art to them is considered a super easy subject to learn and attain a diploma or degree from. These misconceptions encountered by art students is sadly being remarked to them by their own family members and friends. When TFOAS asked how did they feel upon getting this remarks, majority of them stated down that they felt rather disheartened, annoyed, angry and dejected. One of the surveyors even stated down that they started to second guess themselves, and how these misconceptions about being an art student had affected their self esteem. It can be quite discouraging when someone tries to invalidate everything that you’ve worked towards. Therefore, this guidebook aims to be a vehicle of communication for you to convey a message and raise an awareness against the fallacy of going to an art school.
In protest movements, visuals plays significant roles such as communicating grievances, attracting the public attention, shaping communal emotions, or defining a collective self-description. Typically, protest / social movements research concentrates on textual sources while visual materials is often treated as mere illustration rather than a source in its own right. Analysing the role of protest visuals and materials can deepen the understanding of the producer. Thus, the way that protesters employ certain technical procedures and operations may reveal influential ideas, intentions and dispositions. Protest images give an insight into what the image producers expect to be relevant or not.
Focusing on the role of symbolism in protest visuals, symbolism has proven to be a powerful tool for social mobilisation because it can bring together people in a social movement behind a common cause by helping the participants self-define themselves. A visual protest symbols represent the common ideology of a movement in an abstract, but also in a visually evident way. The media for protest symbols are also broad. Iconic symbols such as the Anonymous symbol from the anarchist movement, can be seen not only on placards or flags but also on button badges, clothes or on online platforms. No visual, symbol or sign used in a social movement can be reduced to what it shows. It has context, it is in use, it is part of action. In short, it is the subject of a media practice of protest.
Protest movements raising awareness against injustices can rarely go without posters and signs, specifically designed and created to address the issues. Different type of visuals such as sketches or collages are often deployed. Expressing one’s opinion in this form adds a visual marker to each protest, making it more engaging and visually striking. We have witness a diversity of protest visuals in the crowds of movements throughout the years such as the March for Women and Climate Change Movement. Visuals such as Star Wars Princess Leia as a political crusader, diagrams of ovaries, and statements of solidarity with muslim refugees are also portrayed in endless variety. Even libraries and museums are collecting historical protest visuals from throughout the years, and the study of these visuals reveals the many changes over the years, not only on the social-political issues addressed by the visuals but also the evolving styles of communication and the influences of the protest art visuals itself.
Protest signs was seen as a vital to “brand” or “represent” a movement and communicating its message clearly. One of the most iconic protest sign, is the “I AM A MAN” statement used by striking Memphis sanitation workers in 1968, during the Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement. Throughout the years, protest visuals became more diverse, especially so during the hippie movement, with their artistic spirit, the larger the movement rally is, the more visual interpretation of a protest sign one might encounter. The colours, floral motifs and peace signs of the Vietnam war era continues to reverberate in protest visuals we see today. Many local organisations and movements invested in equipment for making simple silkscreened designs, so that posters, signs and leaflets could all be produced with a consistent motif. Today, graphics software and home computer printers make it possible to create extraordinarily complicated designs that can also be repeated to the point of ubiquity. One of the most ubiquitous of these was created by Shepard Fairey, designer of Obama’s 2008 “Hope” campaign poster.
Although mostly made of ephemeral materials that can be easily destroyed, protest signs are indispensible part of every demonstration. Sarcastic or even caustic, humorous, or deadly serious, they are expressions of individual and group opinions, worries, and attitudes. Done by artists and non-artists alike, these visual protest forms help us amplify our message.
Check out PART 2 of The Fallacy Of An Art School Guide Book, and get a step by step guide on how you can create your own protest visuals, and raise an awareness againsts the misconceptions of going to an art school.