IML 501 Image Project - Zheng

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Part I Text and Image: Design like Barbara Kruger

This photo was taken in People\u2019s Park in Berkeley on May 15, 1969 \u2013 a day later known as \u201cBloody Thursday\u201d. In the 1960s, People\u2019s Park was still a derelict site, although reserved for future development plan. Student activists proposed to turn it into a public park, \u201ca free speech area,\u201d but the university, instead, pushed forward on a construction project. Students gathered in the Park to protest against this decision. The impact of the student protest extended far beyond the university. It even annoyed then California Governor Ronald Reagan, who called this place \u201ca heaven for communist sympathizers, protests and sex deviants\u201d. The authority even took military action against the students, in which tanks, helicopters and tear gas were witnessed and human causalities were reported. The men in this photo were Alameda County Sheriff\u2019s deputies, who just finished clearing out the occupants. They, sitting on the bench, or even on the upside-down desk, appeared relaxed and satisfied.

The man in the middle kicked his feet up on a wooden bench that actually belonged to student protesters. The word \u201ckicking\u201d refers both to his behavior being captured on this photo and to their actions, hours or even minutes before this photo was taken \u2013 we can imagine that protesters might be thrown to the ground and kicked. Such a relaxed sitting position manifests freedom of movement as they were able to control their own bodies, free from all restraint. However, they just cracked down student protesters, suppressed the movement for freedom. Slight changes of wording result in an ironic effect, encouraging viewers to re-consider the meanings of \u201cfreedom,\u201d \u201cmovement,\u201d and the relationship between them. The park\u2019s name indicates that it belongs to all the people. However, people were kicked, beaten, or even killed in an open public space dedicated to them. We can\u2019t help but ask, who are the people? Who can be seen as people?

Moreover, history doesn\u2019t just belong to the past. The debate about People\u2019s Park continues to this day. In recent years, People\u2019s Park is a frequent gathering place for people experiencing homelessness. However, earlier this year, the university restarted plans in this location, such as building student housing. It isn\u2019t hard to imagine the difficulty these people will be facing in the near future. If People\u2019s Park would no longer be a public space, where can the people go? Where can the freedom reside?

Part II, Option I: Design Like Shepard Fairey

The political figure I chose is Aung San Suu Kyi, the most famous freedom fighter and democracy icon in Myanmar. Two photos of Aung San Suu Kyi were used for the creation of this image. These two photos were taken approximately the same time \u2013 both in recent years when she was released from house arrest and became Myanmar\u2019s de facto leader, but she looked very different. In the image on the left, she looks solemn and dignified and is more accord with her image as an emblem of moral integrity and uprightness. In the image on the right, she smiles but seems a little snakey. It is not so much a smile than a smirk, implying that she probably hides deep, dark secrets from the public. Left part of her face almost merges into the background pattern and is thus invisible, while right part of her face is very red and poignant. Her face comes in two forms, embodying the theme of this work -- \u201cDuo\u201d. This theme is not only revealed in one image but also, or more clearly, manifested in the juxtaposition of two images.

The title of this work, \u201cDouble,\u201d refers to Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s double image \u2013 for a better understanding, knowledge of the recent controversy around her is needed. Although for a long time known as a moral hero, since 2018 she has been accused of \u201csilence\u201d in the genocide of Rohingya Muslims. In 2019, she had to travel to The Hague to head her country\u2019s delegation. There has been a lot of talk about her reputation. For example, considering the recent accusations, can Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, still be perceived as a human-rights icon? Or maybe, back to the beginning \u2013 how and why was she being elevated to the mystified status of an international icon, given that her deeds are mostly limited in Myanmar? Who has been involved in putting her at the celestial heights \u2013 the West? Admittedly, she has made a lot of efforts to bring democracy and human rights to Myanmar\u2019s people. However, if she, at the same time, tacitly approves series breach of human rights of the Rohingya, how should we say about her?

In this work, I put two of her images side by side, inviting viewers to figure out the parallels and distinctions by themselves. We may first be interested in exploring which one is truer or more accurate. However, in fact there is no such thing as a single and plane image. Humans are so complex and can hardly be always consistent with themselves, let alone political figures. Instead of assigning them a fixed personality, we need to keep concepts, such as double, multiplicity or even elusiveness, in mind, which can lead us closer to understanding the humanity\u2019s complexity, at the same time acknowledging the impossibility of knowing everything.

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