Design Statement
Theme: The Consequences of Myanmar’s Military Coup
On February 1st, 2021, Myanmar’s military (the Tatmadaw) organized a coup d'état after losing the 2020 election to the National League of Democracy (NLD). They cracked down on the protests against their rule. The subsequent formation of a shadow government and fighting force resulted in a civil war and humanitarian crisis. Myanmar (also known as Burma) has had a tumultuous history with a repressive military rule, widespread poverty, and civil war amongst its various ethnic groups. The transition away from full military rule in 2011 and 2016 sparked hopes for democratic reform, but the regime maintained control of various aspects of the government (Maizland, 2022). The military evidently has very little support amongst the people, as there was immediate and significant resistance, even including ethnic minorities such as the Rohingya (Drechsler, 2021). The Tatmadaw’s suppression tactics have been considered not merely a dictatorship, but wholly totalitarian. The junta, in an attempt to terrorize its own nation into submission, has committed several acts of brutality — i.e. looting, arson, abductions, murders, torturing, etc. (Drechsler, 2021). These are clearly human rights violations. The United Nations defines human rights as rights inherent to all human beings, including life, liberty, work, education, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, etc. (United Nations, n.d.). This design project aims to shine light on the tangible consequences of the military coup, including its impact on the youth, the death toll, and imprisonment. Through my designs, I hope to depict the struggles of autonomy for the Myanmar people, their strong resistance in spite of the atrocities, the desperate need for safety, and to elicit an overall sense of compassion, solidarity, and engagement with a wider, more global audience.
References
Drechsler, W. (2021). New development: Myanmar’s civil service—Responsible disobedience during the 2021 military coup. Public Money & Management, 41(7), 577–580. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2021.1928948
Maizland, L. (2022, January 31). Myanmar’s Troubled History: Coups, Military Rule, and Ethnic Conflict. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya
United Nations. (n.d.). Human Rights. United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/human-rights
6 Keywords
Autonomy, Resistance, Solidarity, Compassion, Safety, Engagement
Design 1 Rationale
The two elements of my first design consist of the Burmese marionette puppet (known as “yoke thé”) and the three-finger salute. I used the negative space between the index, middle, and ring fingers of the three-finger salute as the legs for the Burmese puppet. I wanted to focus on the keywords autonomy and resistance for this design. It depicts the resistance of the Burmese people in the face of the control, brutality, and suppression by the Burmese military. I used the icon of the puppet to portray this lack of autonomy, but subverted it by incorporating the three-finger salute, which portrays the perseverance and conviction of the Burmese people. I also wanted to bring to light the negative impact this conflict has had on the younger generation. As “yoke thé” directly translates to “miniature”, I thought using this imagery would bring a sense of youth. The UN Child Rights Committee reported in July of 2021 that since the start of the coup, 75 children have been killed, about 1,000 have been arbitrarily detained, and countless more have been deprived of essential medical care and education (United Nations, 2021). Reports on this issue have become increasingly difficult to keep track of. My goal with this image is to make it recognizably about Myanmar through the specificity of the icons, but leaving some room for more curiosity in order to engage with a more global audience.
Design 2 Rationale
My second design uses the elements of the coffin and, once again, the three-finger salute. I used the negative space between the three-finger salutes in order to construct the shape of the coffins. For this design, I wanted to focus on the keywords solidarity and compassion. According to a report in February 2022, at least 1500 people have been killed in the protects against the coup, and thousands more have possibly been killed in the armed conflict (Nebehay, 2022). According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP), as of March 10, 2022, 1642 people have been killed (Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup, 2022). In this design, I wanted to emphasize the humanity underneath these numbers. I think it is really easy to become desensitized to the sheer amount of deaths, and to forget that each and every person affected had a unique life of their own. In showing these coffins beside the three-finger salutes, I hope to encourage others to stand in solidarity with the fallen heroes, and to bring compassion to the people of Myanmar, to the families who have lost their loved ones, and to the overarching conflict.
Design 3 Rationale
The elements I used in the third design consist of the recurring three-finger salute motif, the wrinkles on the hand, the prison bars, and the prisoner. I used the negative space between the index, middle, and ring fingers as the prison bars, and I rendered the head, arms, and striped prison uniform of the prisoner so that it would double as the wrinkles on the hands in the positive space. For this design, I wanted to focus on the keywords safety and autonomy. As of March 10, 2022, 12,600 total have been arrested and 1973 are evading warrant, 9571 people are currently under detention, 834 have been sentenced in person, and of them, 45 have been sentenced to death (including 2 children) (Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup, 2022). The mass incarceration — often on arbitrary bases — of civilians as well as the elected State Counsellor of Myanmar (Aung San Suu Kyi, who was recently sentenced to 150 years in prison) has become an increasingly distressing topic. The conditions of the prisons are less than ideal, jeopardizing the safety and autonomy of the prisoners. My goal with this design is to educate my audience on the baseless incarceration of innocent people under a despotic regime.
Design Rationale
The three designs support the theme “The Consequences of Myanmar’s Military Coup” because they depict the coup’s impact on the younger generation, the well-being and survival of civilians, as well as the unjust incarceration of people opposing the regime. The designs also highlight an overarching resistance and strength in the spirit of the people. These images are linked through design elements such as the consistent use of the three-finger salute icon — which has become the most prominent symbol of solidarity and resistance against the Tatmadaw since the coup — and the consistent color palette of black, white, and red. I chose these colors because the bold red draws a lot of attention, especially in contrast to the black and white. Red is also often associated with danger, war, and courage (Wolchover, 2022). Overall, the main goal of these three designs is engagement. I hope to engage with a wider, more global audience to better educate them on a matter that has lost some traction since its initial boom. If I were to extend this design to a campaign with text, I would direct the audience to a website or a video that explains more in-depth the political turmoil in Myanmar.
References
Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. (2022, March 10). Retrieved from https://aappb.org/?p=20491
Nebehay, S. (2022, February 1). Myanmar death toll exceeds 1,500 with nearly 8,800 in custody - UN. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-death-toll-exceeds-1500-with-nearly-8800-custody-un-2022-02-01/
United Nations. (2021, July 16). Myanmar crisis risks damaging entire generation of children, UN Child Rights Committee warns. OHCHR. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27318&LangID=E
Wolchover, N., & Dutfield, S. (2022, January 28). The meaning of colors: How 8 colors became symbolic. Live Science. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/33523-color-symbolism-meanings.html
