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Friday, May 25, 2012
October 12, 2011

Nina Berman at Occupy Wall Street: The Statue of Liberty Re-Imagined

As I wrote on Tumblr the other day, what caused me to immediately sit up and take notice of Occupy Wall Street was how the signage and symbolism applied familiar cultural messages and metaphors in fresh kinds of ways. This convinced me that something larger and more significant was underfoot.

If I had to generalize about the mixing and mashing, a consistent pattern I’m seeing is the blending of died-in-the-wool American patriotic symbolism with activist, civil rights and anti-war imagery. With that in mind, what I see reflected in this photo (and I’m sure you’ll see more) is the Statue of Liberty beautifully re-imagined in a young face with brown skin (consistent with the country’s demographic trend line).  At the same time, I see Angela Davis, but even more so, the unforgettably bitter, yet conscientious gestures of John Carlos and Tommy Smith on the winners stand at the ‘68 Mexico City Olympics. If stretching a bit, the blanket even has a Native American feel to me, the “rainbow” and androgynous flavor here symbolizing the widening social net of this nascent and magnetic movement.

And then, I’m also attracted to the distant tree and the delicate orbs of blurry light which, by way of abstraction, not only serve to soften the hard effect of the towering landscape but, given the transformational quality of dusk, lends the magical quality of nature … and the approaching holiday time. People wouldn’t be responding to this protest wave if it didn’t represent hope reclaimed and a little bit of joy, driven, as it is, by some crazy notion of liberty and justice for all.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NINA BERMAN/NOOR.

See all Bag Occupy Wall Street coverage here.

(linked image 1: AP; linked image 2: unidentified)

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  • bks

    I’m really impressed by the stamina of the protest.   Has any “Tea Party” event lasted more than a day?

        –bks

    • http://ralfast.wordpress.com/ Ralfast

      Most don’t even show up unless they are bus in and if handed rifles by the NRA, so the answer is no.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_43OPDO2YVOGLADPLBYKDEEQRB4 Joel

      No, because they had to go back to work. Notice how 99% of these protesters are college age? By the way, this ‘99%’ movement is founded by Adbusters.org. Click on ‘campaigns’ to learn about them. Then search ‘Iserali Protests” and “Isreal”. Then search ‘Arab Spring’ or “Arab Protests”. Then search “Al Queda”. You go do that and tell me what you notice…”We care about the 99%” my ass.

      Go ahead, DO IT. See if I’m wrong or if I’m lying.

      They are a far left anarchist group and you liberals are, as usual, eating this up without any research or thought put into it. They are supported by ‘anonymous’, a hacker group who also shares their perverted beliefs.

      But keep hating the ‘tea party’ and show that liberal compassion you are all so famous for. Maybe you can say ‘nazi’ or ‘hitler’ while you’re at it like I see from those great anti war protests that ended on 1/21/09. As a descendant of German Jews, I LOVE that about the far left liberals.

      Unfortunately for you I am not a conservative – I am socially liberal – so you can’t blame me or lump me in with some hate group even though you want to. I just know that my ancestors who were chucked into ovens mean nothing to the people who founded this movement – something tells me they wouldn’t mean much to you either. You all deserve each other and you are certainly NOT the 99% that is for damn sure.

      Your job is to cry about rich jew bankers and conservatives and continue to brainwash young people into thinking they are owed things. That’s your job. Go do that. And then kiss the tush of Angela Davis as she recalls her support for “Tookie”, the founder of the crips which killed THOUSANDS of black men and women. Imagine if the TEA PARTY killed ONE!

      Phonies.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=699726629 Dave McLane

    As usual, Nina has a great shot, only I’m not sure it truly captures “freedom” it’s the left arm that’s raised where the Statue of Liberty raises the right arm as does Angela Davis (the other two raise one side each).

    My father was left handed and at first I could use either hand but settled on the left. In the second grade my mother decided that the “left” was evil (sinister, liberal, communist) and I was forced to use my right hand for everything my mother could see … but I retained the left as it was so useful (I like to draw pictures with my left hand and caption them with the right). The only thing that never made it from the left was throwing something. Can’t do it with my right.

    How much meaning the raising of the left hand has in this context, I have not idea. Maybe Nina (who lives in NY) captured it on purpose …

  • omen

    standing strong despite the pain. unbowed and undefeated.

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