Salon
Watch the BagNews Salon: The Visual Framing of Kiev and the Battle for Independence Square
The purpose of this discussion, held May 4th, 2014, was to better understand the visual dynamics and editorial framing of the events in Independence Square. Our focus was on the intense coverage of Maidan Nezalezhnosti in late February leading up to the departure of President Yanukovych.
The news imagery brings various topics to mind, including sensationalism; different symbols and visual stereotypes of war and history; the role of social media as a distribution channel and competitive force to traditional media; and civil war as a media event increasingly played out on a central stage.
Highlight Clips
Fire and Ice: Form and Color in the Maidan Square Photo Coverage
Scenes that seemed gladiatorial one minute, sci-fi the next kept this story in the international spotlight for weeks. What made the Kiev protest photographs so visually compelling? In this highlight we feature two photographs by Jeff J. Mitchell and Brendan Hoffman taken during the protests. Michael Shaw and Cara Finnegan speak with Patrick Whalen, David Cambell, Donald Weber and Ekaterina Haskins about the visual elements that created such spectacle and gave the Maidan uprising its "fire and ice" theme.
Watch NowPhoto: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images.
Caption: Anti-government protesters continue to clash with police in Independence Square on February 20, 2014, in Kiev.
The Maidan Square Uprising: Protest Theater and Religious Ritual
Identity, religion and territory is highlighted in this sequence of images. Protestors armed themselves against government forces with whatever was available to them, creating a visual mash of color and symbolism, the clergy ministering throughout. Photographs by Valentyn Ogirenko, Anatolii Boiko, Evgeny Feldman, Sergey Dolzhenko and Rob Stothard capture the c spirit, force and perseverance of the Maidan protestors. David Cambell, Donald Weber, Patrick Whalen and Ekaterina Haskins discuss the grass-roots tactics used by Kiev's protestors with BagNews's Michael Shaw and Cara Finnegan.
Watch NowPhoto: Evgeny Feldman/AP
Caption: In this file photo taken on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, Protesters clad in improvised protective gear prepare for a clash with police in central Kiev, Ukraine. Protesters in Kiev used improvised protective gear to protect themselves from stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas during clashes with police in central Kiev this week. After a night of vicious streets battles, anti-government protesters and police clashed anew Monday in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
Portraits from the Maidan: Donald Weber's Molotov Cocktails and Anastasia Taylor-Lind's Protester
Donald Weber and Anatasia Taylor-Lind captured the Maidan uprising through portraiture. Weber as taken by the recycled alcohol bottles employed as molotov cocktails during the clashes. Taylor-Lind's photographs used black backgrounds to draw out the personality of the protestor. Donald Weber discusses the details in these photographs with Michael Shaw, Ekaterina Haskins and Patrick Whalen.
Watch NowPhoto: Donald Weber/VII.
Caption: Kiev’s EuroMaidan protesters used fire to their advantage. With fire, the protesters were able to defend their barricades, extend their lines, and fortify their positions. They were mobilized throughout the city to collect as many bottles as possible, and thousands of Molotov cocktails were used to set fire to tanks, other armored vehicles, and buses. These little bombs were the only real weapon protesters had against the government’s well-armed forces.
Maidan Square Uprising: The Aftermath
Rob Stothard's photograph of a woman in a fur coat, a bouquet of flowers in hand, is set against the crude barricades enclosing Maidan Square. This quotidian, yet decidedly contemporary scene brings more irony to the historic clashes. Listen to Donald Weber, Patrick Whalen and Ekaterina Haskins, our Salon panelists, as they react to the turn of events with this photograph.
Watch NowPhoto: Rob Stothard.
Caption: FEBRUARY 24 2014: Women carry flowers for those who lost their lives during the recent clashes in Kyiv as thousands of mourners visit Maidan Nezalezhnosti.
The Full Edit
Take a closer look at some of the images from our larger photo edit.
photo: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images. caption: Anti-government protesters continue to clash with police in Independence Square on February 20, 2014, in Kiev.
photo: Anatolii Boiko/AFP/Getty Images. caption: Riot police officers gather to face protestors in the center of Kiev, on January 22, 2014.
photo: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters. caption: Protesters took cover behind shields during clashes with Ukrainian riot police.
photo: Evgeny Feldman/AP caption: n this file photo taken on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, Protesters clad in improvised protective gear prepare for a clash with police in central Kiev, Ukraine. Protesters in Kiev used improvised protective gear to protect themselves from stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas during clashes with police in central Kiev this week. After a night of vicious streets battles, anti-government protesters and police clashed anew Monday in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
photo: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA. caption: Many protesters brought home-made weapons and shields.
photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images. caption: A man paints a picture of the scene as anti-government protesters clash with police on Hrushevskoho Street near Dynamo stadium in Kiev, on January 25, 2014.
photo: Rob Stothard/Getty Images. caption: A man kneels before an Orthodox priest in an area separating police and anti-government protesters near Dynamo Stadium on Jan. 25, 2014, in Kiev.
photo: Rob Stothard. caption: FEBRUARY 24 2014: Women carry flowers for those who lost their lives during the recent clashes in Kyiv as thousands of mourners visit Maidan Nezalezhnosti.
photo: Donald Weber/VII. caption: Kiev’s EuroMaidan protesters used fire to their advantage. With fire, the protesters were able to defend their barricades, extend their lines, and fortify their positions. They were mobilized throughout the city to collect as many bottles as possible, and thousands of Molotov cocktails were used to set fire to tanks, other armored vehicles, and buses. These little bombs were the only real weapon protesters had against the government’s well-armed forces.
photo: Donald Weber/VII. caption: Kiev’s EuroMaidan protesters used fire to their advantage. With fire, the protesters were able to defend their barricades, extend their lines, and fortify their positions. They were mobilized throughout the city to collect as many bottles as possible, and thousands of Molotov cocktails were used to set fire to tanks, other armored vehicles, and buses. These little bombs were the only real weapon protesters had against the government’s well-armed forces.
photo: Donald Weber/VII. caption: Kiev’s EuroMaidan protesters used fire to their advantage. With fire, the protesters were able to defend their barricades, extend their lines, and fortify their positions. They were mobilized throughout the city to collect as many bottles as possible, and thousands of Molotov cocktails were used to set fire to tanks, other armored vehicles, and buses. These little bombs were the only real weapon protesters had against the government’s well-armed forces.
photo: Donald Weber/VII. caption: Kiev’s EuroMaidan protesters used fire to their advantage. With fire, the protesters were able to defend their barricades, extend their lines, and fortify their positions. They were mobilized throughout the city to collect as many bottles as possible, and thousands of Molotov cocktails were used to set fire to tanks, other armored vehicles, and buses. These little bombs were the only real weapon protesters had against the government’s well-armed forces.
photo: Anastasia Taylor-Lind / VII Photo. caption: Illia, 18, Protestor From Kiev, Ukraine. He was in Maidan for 60 days. 09 February 2014.
photo: unattributed/TheWire.com
photo: Alexey Furman/EPA. caption: In an address to the nation on Wednesday after the bloodiest day since demonstrations broke out in November, Mr Yanokovich blamed opposition leaders for the latest violent protests, urging them it was “not too late to stop the conflict”. Here, women form a chain to pass rocks towards the frontline.
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Independent writer, researcher, lecturer and producer who analyzes visual storytelling and creates new visual stories.
Associate Professor of Rhetorical Studies, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
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