Wednesday, 12 April 2017

Illustration 12 - Gil Scott Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised


I feel that this design could be stronger in relation to the weight this song carries. I aimed for a sombre, ironic image that captures the pacing of the song (which is really a poem first and foremost). Gil Scott Heron is suggesting in this song basically that the revolution will not be televised, because there won't be a point to it. He says that the real change in society takes place in peoples minds and hearts, which are things that broadcasting can influence but cannot fundamentally change. The revolution will be born out of people's desire to change things, people can be told to see things certain ways, but you cannot truly make someone feel a certain way in their mind.
Throughout the song, Gil returns to the titular phrase, outlining what the revolution will not include:
"The Revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox"
"The Revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner"
"The Revolution will not be right back after a message"
The repetition hammers home the importance of the revolution, the social change needed in America, against the trivial nonsense people spend their time worrying about, such as tv sitcoms and diet products. I wanted to express this through the image of the TV on static, having the one product that churns out all the information be broken, leaving the audience to make up their own minds about things and what needs doing. I researched 60s and 70s error TV screens for visual inspiration, to make it clear that the TV in my image is broken, reflecting the desire of the speaker in the song for people to get out of their houses, stop depending on the television for their information and inspiration and making decisions for themselves, being the change they want to see in the world.

Image result for 70s tv error screenImage result for 70s tv error screen

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