The history of printmaking as a form of dissent is a powerful form of design. Protest posters to zines to leaflets, printmaking possesses the unique ability to disseminate information camouflaged as art.
Innately more egalitarian and accessible, it’s raw and uncensored.
Before the age of social media, getting your message out was not so easy. In the golden but low-tech age of 1960s protest, with options for independent broadcasting or publishing limited, silkscreen printing was the street campaigner’s weapon of choice.
Today in the west, we enjoy the freedom of expression without the fear of being shot for peacefully standing for what we believe.
Our friends in Mandalay were using screen printing as one way to protest. They can no longer do so as they must protect themselves from tear gas, brutal beating and bullets.
So we must do what we can! Together we have created a screenprint as a tribute to the peaceful protestors and to support the CDM. The artwork features pictures of our friends protesting and the three-finger salute with the word Disobey in Burmese.
Robin Ross, Blackpool based screen printer, kindly donated his time and studio to print these limited editions, with the money going directly to CDM organisers. Get your very own piece of this peaceful resistance here: https://www.whow.me/cdm
