This work was created around 2019, during a period of significant protests across Europe and globally. While these events seemed to address local issues, they were inextricably linked to broader global political trends.
The newspapers used are all contemporary British dailies and weeklies, and the fragments and complete sentences visible in the piece reflect the issues of that time.
Crimes:
- Stabbed in attacks…
- 50 killed…
- …missing…
- …weapons…
Current affairs:
- Independent Queensland senator wrote on Twitter: “Does anyone dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?”
- Theresa May could be forgiven for asking for divine intervention to save her Brexit plans…
- Corbyn on crisis…
Public interest:
- Plastic doesn’t just harm oceans
- Jonah Hill makes his directorial debut with…
Advertising:
- Everything is reduced
- Audi – No grey areas
- Reassuring. Refreshing. Remortgage.
- Just £89 plus free delivery
Entertainment:
- Lottie needs a man
- Real-life sex
Sports:
- Manchester United’s loss to West Brom
- …Guardiola, who has won 24 trophies in a ten-year coaching career…
Observations:
- Anything looks more dramatic in slow-mo
- Something’s wrong
I often reflect on the ordinary concerns that occupied people’s minds during historically significant or infamous periods. We learn little of these daily worries, though history is fundamentally shaped by world politics. Yet we frequently overlook warning signs of broader issues, which manifest only subtly within day-to-day news.
This work invites viewers to consider how current local concerns relate to wider global political dynamics while also highlighting alarming trends around global press freedom. The piece underscores the importance of human rights and draws attention to global events that impact these freedoms. Where press freedom and the right to information are restricted, fundamental human rights increasingly face threats. Journalists around the world are feeling ever more at risk as they carry out their work, and, regrettably, this unsettling trend has even begun to reach within Europe.
During the making of this work, France was experiencing widespread protests with fatal consequences. In Brussels, demonstrators lifted cobblestones to hurl at police, while in Hungary, tear gas was used to disperse crowds. In the British press of the time, these events were mentioned only in passing; there was no comprehensive coverage that detailed the underlying causes of the unrest.