Creative Practice as Protest: Health Over Wealth
This protest series seeks to comment on the anti-lockdown protests that are occurring across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Anti-lockdown protests cropping up in the US are going to ‘backfire,’ Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Monday, because ‘unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen” [1]. The primary issue of these protests is that they go directly against the recommendations of many state government officials and licensed healthcare professionals. According to CNN, “Protesters around the country have rallied against coronavirus restrictions and complained that they infringe on their personal freedoms and threaten to destroy their livelihoods” [2]. By not following stay-at-home directions, anti-lockdown protesters are risking not only their lives but the lives of those around them. By going out in large crowds and attempting to discredit the ongoing effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, anti-lockdown protesters are spreading misinformation and inhibiting the US. from lowering its rates of infection.
This project serves as a direct counter-protest to the anti-lockdown effort. It is to be implemented as a traditional protest on the frontlines facing-off with anti-lockdown protesters. The mediums chosen to address the issue are posters, masks, and buttons to be handed out physically to protesters on-site.
The design style for the poster is focused on typographic elements like big, bold, and all capitalized letters that convey the message in an impactful and concise way. The color palette determined for this protest is black, white, and teal. Teal represents the color of scrubs that many health care professionals wear. These professionals have started pushing back and are taking a stance against the anti-lockdown protesters. Health care professionals are blocking anti-lockdown protesters in crosswalks in an effort to remind people of the potential hazards to lifting isolation too hastily [3]. This protest sympathizes with these health care workers that are working tirelessly to fight COVID-19.
1. Mahbubani, Rhea. “Coronavirus-Lockdown Protests Will 'Backfire' and Interrupt the US's Economic Recovery, Fauci Says.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 20 Apr. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/anti-coronavirus-lockdown-protests-backfire-delay-economic-recovery-fauci-abc-2020-4.
2. Williams, David. “Health Workers Face Anti-Lockdown Protesters in Dramatic Photos.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Apr. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/us/coronavirus-colorado-health-care-trnd/index.html.
3. Norman, Greg. “Coronavirus Standoff: Photos Purportedly Show Colorado Health Care Workers at Odds with Anti-Lockdown Protesters.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 20 Apr. 2020, www.foxnews.com/us/photos-purportedly-show-coronavirus-protest-standoff.
