Journalists and protestors have been recording their experience in rallies and protests since the invention of cameras. The development of camera phones and their widespread availability has meant this footage has become commonplace, with photographs and videos online and in the dominant media documenting peoples experiences. The quality of this footage is and its legitimacy is often questioned due to the off the cuff nature of the recording. Usually, the footage is filmed in a frantic crowd. According to Fred Dalmasso, this allows the dominant media outlets to manipulate the footage and to capture typical faces of dissent and aggression.
Below is an example of a 'typical' media response to a protester, the man is captured in the defiant action of throwing a smoke bomb, attempting to make the mob appearance more dangerous than the police.
Below is an example of a 'typical' media response to a protester, the man is captured in the defiant action of throwing a smoke bomb, attempting to make the mob appearance more dangerous than the police.
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| Protesters and the police clashed Friday in Istanbul. Demonstrations began Tuesday over plans to redevelop a park in Taksim Square that is the last significant green space in the centre of the city. Credit-Bulent Kilic/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
Here, however, is a photo that was featured in the same article, civilians running away tear gas surrounding them, a more empathetic response to the civilians.
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| Protesters waded through tear gas on Friday at Taksim Square in Istanbul. Credit Tolga Bozoglu/European Pressphoto Agency. |
Hiwa K's work 'This Lemon Tastes of Apple' shows his perspective from the protests, tear gas surrounding him and members of his family. The title refers to the smell of the gas and how the locals use lemon juice to combat the effects. The video is very powerful, the pain of the protesters being swarmed by tear gas is shown effectively. In my opinion, this shows the danger of the police or the military and protests against they're harsh and dangerous actions. The video is part of an installation (shown below) the sound is very loud and immerses the viewer in the footage.
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| Hiwa K's. This Lemon Tastes of Apple. Installation. 2011. |
To conclude, technology is changing the way people perceive protests personal approaches including mobile phone footage aids people in the kettle, giving them protection to a certain degree. However, media outlets will always be able to edit anything put in the public domain. The attitude of the dominant media outlets needs to change, people need to understand their agendas and political connections along with commercial gain.
References
Remote Spectating, Drone images and the Spectacular Image of revolt- Fred Dalmasso.
Art and Politics Now - Anthony Downey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgmGxKvGFWU
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/world/europe/police-attack-protesters-in-istanbuls-taksim-square.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/world/europe/police-attack-protesters-in-istanbuls-taksim-square.html