After reading through the brief I started collecting an initial body of research into 'The Arctic Thirty' campaign and the Greenpeace movement to help me gain an informed understanding of the current situation. As I am fairly uninformed with the details surrounding the Arctic 30 movement I will research into the story and on going situation.
To help give further context to my research I will also research into Greenpeace, a charity that I am accustomed with but know little about. I believe that understanding the charities origins, history and ethos will help me to create an outcome with more relevance to the campaign in which it stems from. Moreover, as mentioned in the brief our response should take the form of a type of protest, as a print focused designer I want to create a response that is relevant to my design practice, and so I will also research into printed forms protest, these could range from posters to billboard advertisements.
Once again I am looking for a quick turn around with this brief as I am currently very busy with work from various other projects. Therefore, I want to collect a brief body of research to inform me about the specifics of The Arctic Thirty campaign and the supporting charity. As the outcome is being created as a form of protest to support the campaign an understanding of what is happening is the most important outcome of the research.
THE ARCTIC 30 STORY
Thirty people are behind bars in Russia following a peaceful protest against oil drilling in the Arctic. They took action because they know it is wrong to exploit melting ice to drill for more of the oil that is warming our world. The Arctic 30, including a freelance photographer and a freelance videographer, have been refused bail and charged with piracy. It is an absurd accusation that carries a maximum 15 year jail sentence.
PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
Below are some promotional videos highlighting the movement that aims to attract the focus of the world.
- This video showcase the reaction to the arctic 30 situation, all around the world people are united in fighting for the activists freedom.
- A lot of the visual media showcased in the video contains emotive words such as 'Free', this is something to take note of when designing my response.
- Moreover, the current posters display images of the 30 people currently detained, this helps people uninformed of the matter see that there are real people at steak.
- Finally, a lot of focus is also put on the fact that 'Activism is not a crime' and the fact that these activists were not doing anything wrong.
This next video introduces the problem and informs viewers about what has happened.
- 30 Activists seized at gunpoint after a peaceful protest.
- All are currently in jail in Russia.
- Video focuses on the movement behind saving the arctic, and the activists currently incarcerated.
- 'Defending the arctic is not a crime.'
VISUAL RESEARCH - CURRENT VISUAL CAMPAIGN
- Assorted posters focus on the word 'FREE' and showcase a portrait of each crew member to help create an emotional link between those detained and the audience. This emotive link is strengthened with the involvement of the activists names.
- The current posters are redundant in their communication.
- The small white birds that can be seen in the photograph reflect the Greenpeace logo.
- DIY posters made by protesters.
- White bird logo can be noticed again.
- There is a green colour scheme running throughout Greenpeace's visual media, my response should reflect this.
- This poster also involves the Greenpeace bird symbol.
- Clean, legible sans-serif typeface used.
VISUAL RESEARCH - THE ARCTIC 30
- The thirty strong crew is formed from members hailing from 17 different countries around the world.
VISUAL RESEARCH - RELATED IMAGERY
- This is the Greenpeace ship that the activists were aboard during the protest.
This image is being used as a banner on Greenpeace's website.
- Green colour scheme used again, green is a colour commonly associated with environmentally friendly movements and companies.
- Bird logo with rainbow.
40 YEARS OF GREENPEACE HISTORY
- September 1971. Greenpeace co-founders Bob Hunter on left at the helm of the Phyllis Cormack (also called "Greenpeace") together with Ben Metcalfe, en route to Amchitka. The very first Greenpeace voyage, departed Vancouver on the 15th September 1971, with the aim of halting nuclear tests on Amchitka Island by sailing into the restricted area.
- June 1982. Greenpeace takes action against ships intending to dump British, Belgian and Swiss nuclear waste into the Atlantic. The Dutch ship Rijnborg is attempting to dump 7,000 tonnes of waste when Greenpeace arrives on the scene - the ship's crew respond by dropping waste barrels onto the protesting Greenpeace inflatables. In early 1983 The British and Dutch announce a ten year moratorium on the dumping of waste and in 1993 they permanently ban the disposal of industrial and radioactive waste at sea.
- The Rainbow Warrior was invited to the Pacific island of Rongelap, where the fallout from US atmospheric nuclear tests was causing widespread health problems. The residents no longer wanted to stay on their contaminated island and asked Greenpeace to evacuate them to the island of Mejato.
- June 1985. After the Rongelap evacuation the Rainbow Warrior headed to New Zealand, from where she planned to travel to Moruroa Atoll to protest French nuclear tests. Before departure from Aukland Harbour she was bombed and sunk by members of the French secret service, killing photographer Fernando Pereira.
- Greenpeace establishes a base in Antarctica to protest against various international projects including mineral exploration in the area. World Park Base could only be resupplied every 6 months. Once the resupply mission leaves, the crew were on their own. The campaign ends in victory when the members of the Antarctic Treaty agree to a 50 year ban on all mineral exploration. Mission accomplished, Greenpeace dismantle their Antarctic base.
- April-June 1995. Greenpeace occupies the offshore oil platform Brent Spar to campaign for a ban on the dumping at sea of offshore installations in the North Sea.
- April 1998. By exposing environmental problems, Greenpeace pictures make people decide: ‘Are you for this, or against it?.’ A Greenpeace campaigner witnesses a forest fire in the Amazon. These fires destroy vast areas of rainforest every year. Often they are set deliberately to open up new land for farming.
- December 1998. A Greenpeace balloon with the slogan "Nuclear Disarmament Now!" floats above the famous Taj Mahal in India in a protest against nuclear testing in India.
- March 2005. A small child at a Chinese scrapyard. Household electronics contain a wide range of toxic chemicals. When these products reach scrapyards in Asia and Africa, the concentration of chemicals can be extremely hazardous.
- January 2006. Greenpeace's campaign to save the whales begain in 1973, it continues today. Here, activists use the inflatable boats to place their own bodies between the whales and the harpoon to hinder the whaling ships.
- May 2007 Greenpeace climbers occupy a 100 metre-high crane at the construction site of Olkiluto 3, Finland's fifth nuclear reactor.
- December 2008. A Greenpeace supporter joins a vigil outside the Japanese embassy in Stockholm protesting the arrest of two Japanese activists for taking action to expose corruption at the heart of the Japanese whaling industry. 2.9 million supporters sign petitions in support of the ‘Tokyo Two’.
- December 2009. The Petermann Glacier in Northern Greenland was expected to calve an iceberg the size of Manhattan. Greenpeace supported independent scientists in researching the physical processing leading to the glaciers acceleration. By canoeing 25km along the melt while carrying a radar from a string of four kayaks scientists were able to map the glaciers thickness. In the event, the glacier did not break up until 2010. Greenpeace ships have hosted many scientific missions around the world.
- October 2009. Greenpeace activists create the rice art project in Thailand by planting many different types of organic rice in a rice field. The finished art celebrates Thailand’s rich heritage, and depicts farmers harvesting rice. It also serves as a reminder to governments of the need to protect the world’s most important food crop from genetic engineering. Sustainable farming methods and natural crops can easily provide enough food for the world’s population. Greenpeace campaigns for the adoption of sustainable, healthy and ethical farming practices across the world.
- November 2008. By securing himself to the anchor chain, this activist is delaying the departure of the tanker Gran Couva. The ship is carrying 27,000 tonnes of palm oil to the Netherlands. His banner reads “No more forests or peat land for palm oil”
- August 2009. Sarah Obama, the wife of US President Barack Obama's grandfather, turns on the lights after a Greenpeace team installed a solar power system at her home in Kogelo Village. The solar installations are part of a 20 day renewable energy workshop hosted by Greenpeace's Solar Generation with 25 participants from the Kibera Community Youth Programme and community members of Nyang'oma Kogelo.
- December 2009. In the face of angry police and workers, the only protection for this activist, who is chained to a bulldozer, is the presence of a photographer and the conviction that their own peaceful actions will keep the situation calm.
- May 2011. Supported by the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace experts conduct independent radiation sampling along the Fukushima coastline. In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster these tests show how inadequate the government’s response to the disaster has been. In response to this, the Japanese government institutes its own programme of checks.
- July 2010. Greenpeace activists being attacked by fishermen as they attempt to free endangered blue fin tuna from nets in the Mediterranean Sea. Greenpeace campaigns for the establishment of marine reserves, national parks at sea closed to fishing and industry.Only by creating these protected areas can we guarantee that there will be plenty of fish in the sea for future generations, and that the amazing variety of life in the ocean will be protected.
- July 2011. The hull of the new Greenpeace flagship, Rainbow Warrior III on dry ground at the Fassmer Shipyard in Berne. The Rainbow Warrior is Greenpeace's first purpose-built vessel, and will be officially launched in Autumn 2011.
unREPORTED INSPIRATION
While browsing the competition website I came across an inspiration section in which the competition hosts provide participants with work examples that illustrate the type of work they want to see from submissions.
After clicking on images you are taken through to the source webpage, I decided to follow a few and assess the inspirations provided.
Performance - Human Trafficking
- Instead of using printed or digital media the above protest relies on a physical performance, the concept has been designed to shock people and raise awareness of human trafficking.
- I believe that the protest is successful as its shocking nature captures peoples attention and causes them to think about the many negatives surrounding human trafficking.
Poster - The Department of Fill in the Blank
- The above image displays printed poster based protest that allows users to interact with its contents and design their own 'United states department of...'
- I believe the poster is successful as it allows users to interact with the contents of the outcome, consider the messages communicated and also simultaneously promotes creativity.
PRINTED PROTESTS
After informing myself about the specifics of The Arctic Thirty campaign and the history of Greenpeace I felt informed enough to start progressing with my research into printed forms of protest.
T-shirt
Signs
Banners
Posters
Stickers
Paste-up artwork
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