Monday, March 6, 2017
Photograph Stasis
The primary stasis used in the photograph is the stasis of action. Depicted in the photograph are, as the title of the stasis suggests, people acting in response to the unjust state of the United States during the Civil Rights Movement. This answers the first question of the stasis, "what should we do about this": What they did was make signs and protest a system that was undeniably oppressing them. The actions that were possible to them were limited by their scarce resources, so they were forced to make use of the one resource they had in abundance, people willing to protest, and used them to send a message. That message contains the answer to the stasis of action's third question, "what proposals shall we make about it," in the form of the protestors' demands. They do not simply propose they be given their basic human rights, they demand it. These demands were necessary at the time in order to fulfill the stasis of action, as the Civil Rights Movement demanded no half measures in its quest for progress. Obviously this one protest was not enough to bring about the desired change in America at the time, nor was the movement limited to just the stasis of action, but it certainly provides a clear snapshot of one of the puzzle pieces that all fit together to make change.
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I agree with your choice of stasis, which is action. I think that is clearly the right choice in the photograph. The people who are protesting are clearly taking action in response to something they are unhappy with.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that the photograph itself portrays the stasis of action where people recognize that it is important to demand their rights, then simply ask. I also believe the photograph could be a call to action, perhaps by demonstrating the many people protesting out on the streets, the photographer was emphasizing the importance of such an issue and the need for more advocate to be behind the issue. It could also be interpreted as a warning to those apposed to civil rights that this movement will inevitably take over, and it is time that the rights of people be rewritten.
ReplyDeleteI also believe the stasis here is action. I think one could also argue that there is the stasis of jurisdiction as well. I've been mentioning the style of the photo a lot, but I do think the way it was taken helps communicate the stasis of jurisdiction. While the height of the camera brings the protest close to the viewer, the viewer is also slightly above the vast crowd, almost placing them vicariously in a position of authority and evoking a speculative and evaluative position, and thus, posing the question of "who or what will resolve this matter?"
ReplyDelete~Eva
I think action is the right stasis here. The amount of representation in the picture is tremendous. I take this as the fact that the actions of the government were not representative on the peoples opinion. People were becoming more progressive while some actions of the government were not.
ReplyDelete