Solid Wall of Sound

Images have become a guiding force and rallying cry for contemporary social movements. Protest photography has the capacity to galvanize action, mobilize community, and sustain momentum in the pursuit of social justice. However, we cannot ignore the fraught and dangerous reality that documenting protest may compromise the identity, safety, and autonomy of individuals displayed.

Solid Wall of Sounds explores how the protection of identity can be an act of community care by showcasing protest photography in which identifying features have been redacted. The process of redaction prompted us to think critically and creatively about how to obscure identity, what information to withhold, and when to redact an image, all while preserving the power, sensitivity, and revolutionary spirit of an image.

When applied to protest documentation, redaction has a liberating potential. it is an act of defiance against mass surveillance and definitive assertion of care for the livelihood of others and the movement at large. By anonymizing images, we can imagine ourselves in these works, highlighting the intertwined nature of our struggles.

It is important to remember that surveillance affects us all differently - we are no policed unilaterally and we do not share the same capacity to publicize our identity or put our bodies on the line in the name of protest. Solid Wall of Sound explores artistic outlets for care and tenderness in response to unprecedented digital surveillance. 

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