Creep Machine Magazine – Contemporary Art & Culture

Tag: ows

  • “Occupy Hope” by Shepard Fairey

    “Occupy Hope” by Shepard Fairey

    I have been trying to take a break from reading the news as much as I usually do; It hasn’t been the most uplifting lately anyway. It’s always good to take a break and remember to enjoy all of the little amazing things that happen when you really pay attention. However, It’s been hard to ignore some of the events surrounding the Occupy Wall Street movement, with cops macing protesters, more people joining support, and artists jumping in and sharing their creativity for the 99%. Artists working in a variety of mediums have been creating posters that reiterate the groups message. Of course I have seen many sites that are offering shirts and posters, with no mention that your money will go to anything other than the pockets of those that sell the items but that always happens. One site worth checking out, Occupyprint.org has a good amount of OWS posters, each one is downloadable in pdf format for free, so you can help spread the images around.
    Most recently Shepard Fairey has released a new image, in the same style as the Obama “Hope” Poster, which shows a redesigned figure wearing a hoodie, and a Guy Fawkes mask (representative of Anonymous and OWS). Below you can see the first version of the poster, and the updated version after Fairey received a response from an Occupy organizer.

    The first poster was criticized as it came off “pro-Obama” with the use of the badge seen in the first poster, now with the 99% shown in the center, and most visible the callout at the bottom stating “Mr. President We HOPE You’re on Our Side”. In the response the Orgaziner clearly states OWS does want to associate with any major figure, especially Obama who has “raised more money from Wall Street than any other candidate in history”. The organizer goes to breakdown each one of the choices Fairey made in the creation of this new poster. In the end the poster was later changed with the full response that prompted it. Now the image states “We Are the HOPE”. Of course the colors will always associate the image with the original design, but I am curious to know how you feel about it. Does the design “reclaim” the original “Hope” poster and give it new power? What do you feel about the initial Occupy design, and the changes that were made?

    Read the full response by OWS to Shepard Fairey here @ OBEY

  • Art and the “Occupy” Movement


    A little over a week ago I touched on the idea of the need for political art in the article; Political Art for a Much Needed Time. If you have been watching the news, or the lack thereof in most cases, the “Occupy” movement is growing bigger and spreading to cities all over the country, and in some cases has inspired movements for change in other countries [1. Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread to Ireland]. It’s a very exciting time and I look forward to seeing what positive changes occur. I have also been keeping my eyes open to see what role art plays in these new movements.

    Popping up in various areas in San Francisco the past few days is an image made by Eddie Colla. The image (shown above) features the iconic Guy Fawkes face, currently being used by the group Anonymous and many protestors at Occupy events. The mask was made popular again via the 2006 movie V for Vendetta. It’s a great looking mask, and I think the idea of being anonymous along with a recognizable image is a smart idea. What I find interesting is the idea that this mask is owned by Time Warner, one of the largest media outlets in the world, and every time a mask is sold they are paid a licensing fee [2. Masked Protesters Aid Time Warner’s Bottom Line]. It seems to be a difficult situation, as the overall message is against corporate greed, but the mask is now a symbol of the movement. The good thing is that Eddie Colla does not help Time Warner rake in more cash, and he is giving people to ability to download high resolution images of the posters, one for each city, and paste them around. Get one here

    Finally, the “Occupy Art World” movement seems to be starting as well [3. ‘Occupy Art World’ Movement Emerges on Twitter]. A new twitter account, @OccupyArtWorld, created by an anonymous source has popped up and is pushing for change in the art world. The idea that the larger art world needs to change, and artists need to make more money and be taken care of is an old fight. The account is not very old, so let’s see if it sticks around.