GREEN’S ART: NEW MEDIA huge number of famous artists inside online information channels (through AESTHETICS IN PRE- AND and outside the country. In addition, using complicated filtering systems to POST- ELECTION EVENTS IN after the election a number of lesser- prevent the Internet from being used IRAN known and amateur artists joined the effectively by the public). During the Amin Ansari, Faculty of Education, protests. Along with street post-election period, when protesters Humanities and Law, Flinders demonstrations and protests, the volume were totally isolated by national radio University, Adelaide, Australia of artworks1 created by ordinary citizens and television, digital media played a Email:
Please reference as: [Author(s)-of-paper] (2013) [Title-of-paper] in Cleland, K., Fisher, L. & Harley, R. (Eds.) Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium of Electronic Art, ISEA2013, Sydney. http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/9475 Page numbering begins at 1 at the start of the paper. happened in Iran, with many everyday (1963), the Islamic Revolution (1979) protests to overthrow the system. His citizens and users becoming citizen and the Green Movement (2009). The article ‘From They Rule to We Rule’ journalists and cultural producers. increasing centrality of religion since attempts to evaluate the role of artivism During the post-election period, 1979 provides a particularly clear in current political affairs; this essay is protesters used digital media not only as example. Immediately after the Islamic based on his previous creative project an information channel and a way of Revolution, the government established ‘They Rule’, which aimed to provide a organizing themselves, but as an artistic the Islamic Advertisement Organization, glimpse of some of the relationships outlet, a means of expression for people investing considerable effort (and the amongst the US ruling class. He also lacking freedom of political expression. capacities of the Ministry of Culture and asserts that artists have the same Islamic Guidance) in the control of political responsibilities as other Art and the Green Movement social, political and cultural matters members of society, and does not have As a socio-political movement, the through a variety of means, including extra expectations of them [6]. Green Movement’s relationship with art artistic. This idea can also be seen in Similarly, the widely-read yet can be considered within the broader what British-based Iranian media anonymous Mikhak website field of ‘politics and art’. This field lecturer Khiabany calls ‘Islamic commentator views the role of art in the includes a range of debates and Exceptionalism’, which along with ‘De- Green Movement’s progression more practices, from propaganda and political Westernizing’ make up “the pillars of pessimistically. In an article entitled art, through community and protest art, Islamism” [3]. ‘Aestheticization of Politics’, the author to ‘artivism’ - a combination of art and On the non-government side, there is argues that insisting on artivism reduces activism. Historically, there has been a considerable tradition of artivism, both the whole movement to a fruitless much debate about the connection on a worldwide scale and in Iran’s political act, and has transformed between politics and art. Many theorists, history. One approach is to ask how art serious political matters of death and life with a variety of points of view, have is functioning in the hands of protesters. into enjoyable entertainment. investigated why art deals with political Walter Benjamin suggests that in a In line with this idea, Hamid affairs, and the significance of such social context, art can play a role in Dabashi, an ‘Iranian Studies’ professor political art. For example Marcuse, from undermining social habits, and has the in the US, takes a relatively his leftist perspective, focusing on “the power to shift a politically passive controversial position. In his interview Beautiful” (associated with art since the population into the position of critics: with Radio Farda entitled ‘The mid-nineteenth century), believes that Transfiguration of Artistic sensuousness is what gives art a political “… Distraction as provided by art Reconstructralism’, Dabashi discusses power: presents a covert control of the extent the relationship between art and the to which new tasks have become Green Movement. Whilst he is against “The sensuous substance of the soluble by apperception. Since, the regime, he says that Iranian society Beautiful is preserved in aesthetic moreover, individuals are tempted to should not impose any political sublimation. The autonomy of art and avoid such tasks, art will tackle the expectation on artists, and that a its political potential manifest most difficult and most important political agenda is not a necessary themselves in the cognitive and ones where it is able to mobilize the element for an artwork, even during emancipatory power of this masses” [4]. protest [7]; a position which sensuousness. It is therefore not fundamentally opposed a majority of surprising that, historically, the attack During Iran’s -election crisis, Iranian protesters’ expectations at the on autonomous art is linked with the aesthetics were used in political activism time. distinction of sensuousness in the with the clear intention of mobilizing Thousands of artworks created and name of morality and religion” [1]. the Iranian people, as in Benjamin’s distributed by both the government and theory. The art of this period was, as the protesters in the pre- and post- Carol Becker summarizes Marcuse’s Cohen-Cruz puts it, an art which election period provide us with both a ideas about the role of art in political “directly responds to a controversial captured history, and also a current affairs as follows: “art with political public action or is intended to challenge framework for further discussion and aspirations should utilize the subversive public perception about the status quo” examination of the political potential of power of ‘beauty’ when appropriate” [5]. Criticizing the government, art. [2]. reproducing/adopting crucial moments, Historically, ideas similar to those of and showing the plight of victims were Greens’ Art Website Marcuse have been adopted by both the main themes of this period’s Greens’ Art provides a space in which to governments and social movements in artworks, with a clear mission of collect, categorize, contextualize and different ways. The most wellknown increasing audiences’ sensitivity to the exhibit the distributed artworks made by governmental examples are the Soviet ongoing events. professional and amateur artists, Union’s socialist realist school, and the While some figures insist that art has including some pro-government, who Nazi’s propaganda system. However, an important role to play in protests, created works related to the pre- and Iran also has a long history of moments Josh On does not see artivism as a post-election period in Iran. The in which art has been used as a means of determinant factor during political project’s aim is to preserve history engaging with politics. Four such events struggles. He argues that while art can through an artistic approach, whilst also in recent history are: the Constitutional enthuse and challenge the mind, in the both bringing the material to life for Revolution (1907), the 28 Mordad Coup end people have to act through their people, and avoiding it being lost over a by an amateur with minimal graphic period of time. design skills, to invite protesters to a The best means to illustrate the rally (Fig. 3) may provoke a greater cooperation of protest, art and digital response for the movement than a media in the Green Movement, and give professional poster with a general a comprehensive overview of the message against the situation (Fig. 4). artivism during the period, seemed to be a curated database (exhibition) of all sorts of related works. The prototype, including 1400 works in 24 categories created, by both Iranians and non- Iranians, was launched on May 15, 2013 (URL: http://www.greens- art.net/?lang=en) [19]. The project is not entering the area of criticism at this prototype stage; its main purpose is to restore and categorize the artworks and their related information. The online exhibition will present all the Fig.3. A poster designed by an amateur information in both Persian (Farsi) and artist calling for a rally on international English, in order to engage international Fig.2. An injured protester shows the Worker’s Day audiences. Currently all the basic data victory sign after being beaten by military such as titles, events and artists’ names forces are translated; in the next step, artworks’ stories and additional information will One of the important factors that be added to the dataset, to make the should be considered in criticism and materials more accessible to English- comment regarding such works is the speaking audiences. Besides entries for situations that they were created in. the works of professional and amateur Presumably, we cannot compare these artists and citizen journalists, related works with artworks or documentaries resources will be added over time, which are created in politically neutral including interviews with specialists, situations or less controversial artists and ordinary people, and conditions, and evaluate the technical multimedia layers will be added to and aesthetical aspects from the same facilitate access to the collected perspective. When the government documents. Eventually, the Greens’ Art started to react brutally against the project will become a multimedia protesters, many professional artists history project, providing audiences rationally ceased their support of the with an opportunity to (re)approach Green Movement. This could be one of events through the collected art and the reasons why some amateur artists other materials. instinctively entered the scene, and Visitors to the current version of the worked hard to respond to the demands website can choose between different of that time. It could even be said that Fig.4. An illustration designed by a options (such as category, artist, origin the amateurs’ presence was bolder than professional international artist and event), search the artworks by the professionals’, if the quantity of keywords, or use the calendar section to current artworks is considered a The first illustration might be less reach a desired item. For instance, by significant indicator. memorable for users of social media, for viewing a documentary photo taken with To evaluate the artworks in this many reasons, including lack of a a very ordinary digital camera on a cell context, another interesting factor is mature creativity, and the specific event phone, the visitor can view what their durability. Obviously, durability is that it is related to has probably been protesters experienced on a Tehran guaranteed in most professional artists’ forgotten (Fig. 4). At the same time, street on December 27, 2009, (Fig. 1), or works, due to their technique and however, we cannot ignore it as an see how people kept their hope in the experience. However, although this artwork; many factors, such as color, most desperate situations (Fig. 2). These characteristic may be an important composition and typography, are clearly are just small examples of the power of consideration in art, it should be asked, recognizable in it. In addition, the the visual history compared to the what is more important during a crisis: related event somehow validates this written word; it “can inspire and durability or a timely response? This piece of work; its responsiveness to an provoke questions” as On says [6]. issue - what Becker call the ‘subversive ongoing situation in society is, power’ [2] - is especially important according to Cohen-Cruz, artivism’s Fig.1. Military forces using gas tear when a piece of work is used to organize duty [5]. against people in Bloody Ashoora or advertise a specific act or event. A Thanks to digital technologies, the (December 27, 2009) simple illustration created in Photoshop, new ‘mechanical reproduction’ tools, there are thousands of such works Theater, Film and Television (2005),