By L.C. Stephens
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| See a larger version here This poster is about the dangers of politically motivated destruction of monuments. Public monuments constitute part of our cultural identity teach us about our values and ideals. They must be able to be accessed by the public if they are to serve their main function which is to educate and memorialize aspects of our history for better or for worse. Target audience: General Public |
I wanted to create the feel of a Lost Kitten poster for this project. I thought about where the public would encounter that type of thing: probably on the sidewalk, by the road, and I photoshopped in a splatter of mud like you might see from a passing car. I was interested in "official vandalism" and the idea that we collectively decide what we want to remember and how we remember it by putting up monuments, or by taking them down or altering them. I believe that awareness and open discussion are our best weapons against intolerance and divisions in society. The presence of public monuments provokes discussion in the people who see them everyday and I think that we must be honest with ourselves in how we represent the past.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this poster, well done! I agree that acknowledging shameful pasts and retaining evidence of them can lead to a more tolerant society that is less likely to repeat mistakes of the past. However taking down painful monuments can also be a liberating act for communities that may have been oppressed, the act of getting rid of a statue can revive people. It can also be difficult to live in the shadow of these types of monuments, it can promote feelings of guilt, resentment, fear and anger which can lead to instability, arguments and conflict. No part of the past can or should be erased, but I think it can be very difficult to argue for the preservation or destruction of monuments that represent difficult times.
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