Blue Bra Graffiti Bahia Shehab

BLUE BRA GRAFFITI (BAHIA SHEHAB)

Name

Worldmaking: Design and Designing in Social and Political context

Date

Blog Commentary

Wars and political revolutions around the globe have continued to characterize by certain

signs and objects. The signs are aimed at inspiring people through mockery, ridicule, and education

and are characteristic of ongoing events or incidences. The blue bra graffiti associated with Egypt’s

Tahrir square uprising can be connoted to be one of the signs designed to inspire individuals and

spread information channeled political freedom from an oppressive administration

. The blue bra

graffiti had a real backstory or context which gave it true meaning as regards the culture and

cultural practices of the Egyptians who are mostly of Islamic descent. The Egyptian people were

against the subjugation by their government which included police brutality and the disregard for

human life. The blue bra graffiti was not the only sign for the people’s revolution but was

accompanied by the outline of a foot that denotes, “long live the revolution.” “No to the stripping of

people” was also captioned with the graffiti

The blue bra graffiti was pegged on the affliction of a veiled woman who during the protests

in the square was stripped to her bra by the police. The photographic imagery provoked anger and

led to more protests in the country. Therefore, it was tied to the indiscriminate violence associated

with law enforcement agencies. It evokes a sense of emotional anger ascribed to the nakedness of a

woman especially that of one fully dressed in an Abaya. It strips her of her moral and religious

decency as stripping of women is associated with punishments of infidelity. It appears disheartening

for a government chosen to protect the culture and safety of a people to act against the culture they

were elected to protect. The idea of a woman not only being stripped but beaten for fighting for her

rights is a depiction of the social suffering. It highlights a sense of vulnerability for every individual

and a representation of the struggle. The blue bra graffiti reveals the turmoil and social injustice and

Khalil, Nama. 2014. Blue Bra Graffiti (Bahia Shehab). 9 25. http://designandviolence.moma.org/blue-bra-graffiti-

bahia-shehab/.

ibid

is given credence and authority by the realness of the fight. The pain a woman protester goes

through in her fight for freedom and hence, Egyptian revolution.

The use of signs is particular to events. And therefore, the utilization of the blue bra is a

representation of creativity with meaning. The use of signs is accredited to the speed in which its

spreads a message and its interactivity. The graffiti and the no stencils aroused emotion that

radicalized the Egyptian people towards a fight for freedom. The graffiti and the stencils

represented the message of “No to violence” and “No to military rule” which can be said to be the

correlation between design and violence. Graffiti has its own advantages such as the element of

surprise. Public art can be accrued to any form of language and can serve as an incentive for

change.

Discussion

It can be highlighted that all cultural objects disseminate a meaning and all cultural practices

are dependent on a certain meaning and thus, the utilization of signs

. The signs can be likened to

language

. The design of signs to depict a particular witty sense has to be associated with features in

culture or cultural practice. The religious culture of the Egyptian community places significance on

ensuring the dignity of the woman. It is a sacrilegious act for a woman to show her nakedness in

public and stripping is used as a form of punishment in the Islamic culture. A woman is dressed in

an Abaya to hide her nakedness. Therefore, the design and use of the blue bra graffiti can be linked

to a violation of a well-held culture and disregard for values and norms of the people. Therefore, the

blue bra graffiti represents a meaning of oppression and social suffering.

The different forms of designs are fashioned to express meaning based on the fact that

individuals share similar conceptual maps

. Therefore, roughly interpreting things in similar ways.

In this case, individuals are able to construct a culture- shared meanings. The design is founded on a

Hall, Stuart, ed. 2009. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications.

ibid

common language and enables an entity to attribute themselves to people, events or imaginary

worlds. Mental representation can be accrued to abstract things which one cannot either feel or

touch

. Therefore, a complicated relationship is insinuated. In the case of Egypt, the culture of a

fully clothed woman is a shared meaning among the folk. Suchman denotes that organizational

egocentrism as one which chooses the aspects of reality and can be understood by the existent

cognitive structures that can create artificial worlds in which their potential can unfold

. The design

structure of the blue bra can be linked with a political structure and emergent from fake collectivity-

it provides self-evidence and logic for particular individual actions

The impetus of the Egyptian design can be connoted to have transcended from abstract

things- social suffering and oppression. Also, political oppression existed as the reality, and the

graffiti signs formed the artificial world in which the radical potential of the people was evoked. It

provided a logic to the violence and protests in Egypt and thus, a correlation between design and

violence. It shows the increased awareness of the actual practice of phenomena- complexity,

uncertainty, and uniqueness. Therefore, designers are required to design a situation as uniquely as

possible- ‘universe of one

Ibid

Suchman, L. 2002. "Located accountabilities in technology production." Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems

91-105.

ibid

Schon, D. 2009. Studies. Edited by H Clark and D Brody. Oxford: Berg.

Bibliography

Hall, Stuart, ed. 2009. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London:

Sage Publications.

Khalil, Nama. 2014. Blue Bra Graffiti (Bahia Shehab). 9 25.

http://designandviolence.moma.org/blue-bra-graffiti-bahia-shehab/.

Schon, D. 2009. Studies. Edited by H Clark and D Brody. Oxford: Berg.

Suchman, L. 2002. "Located accountabilities in technology production." Scandinavian Journal of

Information Systems 91-105.

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