This series aims to convey a generalised idea of the act of protest, a difficult task as each protest is very different and often very specific to each movement. Protest is a practice that is dying out and losing its impact. Its effectiveness is being challenged by online activism, often termed ‘clicktivism’ or ‘slacktivism’. In addition it has a curious stereotype attached to it as a pastime of hippies and radicals, rather than a tool for the people. I want to disassociate these stereotypes by attaching alternative visual language to this act.

These hand-etched, typographical plates are displayed alongside screen-printed images from archive photographs of protests. The text is presented as a script for a play, suggesting a pace, and sequence of events, as well as being instructive on how to carry out a protest. I see it both as much a script, but also as as a manifesto for solidarity. Etching, as a medium reflects my ideas, being a classical method of image making with the very act of scratching into the plate creating a sense of toil and permanence. The screen-prints, unlike the etchings, are a faster, more efficient and therefore more throwaway method. This reflects how the philosophy of protest conveyed through the etchings is applied momentarily to many different causes, but it is the method and ideals that remain over time.