Michael Cattell

Occupation as a Means to an End

There are a great number of issues that plague our world. Income inequality, corporate

influence, and sustainability are just a couple of issues, and they have a global impact. As a

result, there are several social movements that have sprung up in an effort to combat these

problems. The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and Reclaim The Streets (RTS) are examples of these

movements, and while they have some differing goals, they also have some overlap. OWS is

primarily concerned with income inequality and corporate influence, while RTS is also

concerned with corporate influence as well as sustainability, specifically with cars. The artifact

for OWS is promoting the start of a planned “occupation” of Wall Street in 2011, encouraging

those who come to bring a tent to stay for a prolonged period. This artifact has a kairotic element

attached to it, as the OWS movement sprung out of the 2008 financial crisis and other anti-

government movements in Europe and Africa (Lasn). The RTS artifact is also a promotion for an

occupation-type event on a motorway in London in 1996, although the messaging in it differs

from the one from OWS. Both artifacts have occupation of a space as their call to action,

however the artifacts differ when looking at how they communicate their message. Specifically,

there are differences in the imagery, color scheme, and phrasing they use.

Both the OWS and the RTS artifact utilize different imagery in order to convey their

respective messages in an effective manner. The OWS poster effectively merges existing

symbols in order to create imagery that enhances their message of Wall Street hostility. One of

the two symbols placed in the image is the Charging Bull statue that can be found on Wall Street.

The statue, made in 1989, has led different people to develop different interpretations about its

meaning. The original artist, for example, wanted it to represent the “strength and power of the
American people”, as the statue was created after the 1987 stock market crash. Others, however,

have assigned a more cynical interpretation, with the statue representing greed, money, and

power in American business and politics (Jacobs). The artifact takes the more cynical

interpretation of the statue, due to the background of the OWS movement. This was done in

order to contrast the bull and the dancer that is poised on top of it. This dancer is much more

peaceful looking than the bull and is meant to serve as the representation of the people who are

fighting against Wall Street. The contrast between the peaceful dancer and the intimidating bull

is how the artifact goes about using symbolism as a means to strengthen its message of how

combative Wall Street is, with the idea being that the bull is disrupting the dancer delicately

balanced on top of the bull. This shows how fragile people following the OWS movement view

the balance between corporations and the rest of the people.

The RTS poster, in contrast, displays less aggressive imagery, emphasizing the “street

party” aspect of the protest. Julia Ramírez Blanco, who is currently a lecturer at Barcelona

University, detailed an example of how different RTS events play out. According to Blanco,

RTS is not a non-violent movement, as some associated with the group do participate in property

destruction and defensive violence (Blanco, 173), despite the advertisement of a street party-type

event. One example she cites of it not being a non-violent movement comes from the event

referenced in the artifact, where there were people on stilts and huge 18th-century styled dresses,

playing music and dancing (Blanco, 172-173). Underneath the dress, however, are people

drilling into the asphalt and planting trees. With this context, it becomes more evident as to why

the image of the dancing was chosen: in order to reinforce the fact that they want to use street

parties and disruption of normalcy in order to advocate for their cause. The picture of the woman

dancing and appearing to motion for the young child to join her also shows that it is not just
adults who are able to participate in the event; children are also welcomed in order to get them

invested in the movement. It also shows how the event is somewhat laid back and meant to be a

party, not as much a serious gathering that you might expect at a typical protest. This imagery

contrasts with the OWS artifact because there less allusion to violence or aggression in the RTS

poster. As mentioned before, the OWS posters features the charging bull statue, which is the

more aggressive part of the poster. RTS does not have a similar aggressive component, instead

having a woman and child appearing to be dancing and enjoying themselves. This demonstrates

how, even though they have different ways of communicating their messages, they are able to

communicate them effectively.

The OWS and RTS poster also utilize color in a way that compliments the imagery

previously mentioned. The OWS poster counterintuitively uses a lack of color in order to

enhance its message. This poster mutes almost all colors, with much of the poster being in

grayscale aside from the text at the top of it. Typically, the use of this color palette is associated

with a dystopia-like worldview and generally negative feel. This aids in enhancing their message

of decreasing income equality and the hostility of Wall Street because it invokes the idea that the

world is dark and dystopic as a result of Wall Street and the income inequality. Additionally, the

messaging of the OWS movement essentially pits Wall Street against everyone else, establishing

that there is almost a war between the two. The colors, or lack thereof, in the poster also help to

advance this idea in the mind of the audience.

The approach used by the RTS poster, on the other hand, uses more color to convey their

message. While it uses only two colors, likely due as a result of needing to mass print these

posters in the 1990s, the use of the two colors is used in effective way. Pink and black are the

colors used in the poster, and while it may seem that they symbolize incompatible concepts, this
contrast is used in a productive way. In 2012, Nick Luxmoore, a school psychologist, published

an article in Psychology Today that discusses how pink and black work together. While his

article focuses more on how young people convey themselves through using pink and black

together, his points still ring true when applied to the RTS poster. In the article, Luxmoore

discusses how the two colors, when working in tandem, represent being more fun and livelier

(pink) while also being very serious and angry about something (black) (Luxmoore). In the case

of the RTS poster, these two colors working together represent the duality of the movement: pink

is representing the street party aspect where everyone is partying and having a good time, while

the black is showing the more serious side with how serious the movement views their issue and

the stakes that are involved. These colors aid in conveying the mood and sentiment felt by those

in the RTS movement. Despite the contrast in how and what color is used in these two posters, it

is still used to convey their respective messages in an effective way.

In addition to the two previously mentioned points, the two artifacts also utilize different

types of text in order to promote their message. The OWS takes a minimalist approach in regard

to text, instead opting to let the imagery to convey their message. On the poster, there are only

four lines of text, if the text at the very top is treated as one line. The question posed at the top of

the poster, “What is our one demand?”, asks the audience to identify the core of the OWS

movement and highlights how simple OWS views their demands. The rest of the text is more

information-oriented, with the poster telling the audience when the occupation begins and to

bring a tent. In addition, there is also a “#occupywallstreet” included, which shows how social

media begins to play a role in social movements around 2011. The scant amount of text, although

powerful, shows how the poster is meant to revolve around the bull and the dancer in the center

of the poster. However, when working in tandem with the imagery taking the lead, the poster
conveys a strong message that entices its audience to engage with the movement and take part in

the occupation.

The RTS poster, on the other hand, uses significantly more text, balancing the

relationship between imagery and text so that they are equally as important. Layered on top of

the image of the woman and child is a quote that is often attributed to the London RTS

movement: “Ultimately it is in the streets that power must be dissolved: for the streets where

daily life is endured, suffered and eroded, and where power is confronted and fought, must be

turned into the domain where daily life is enjoyed, created and nourished” (Notes From

Nowhere, 390). This quote is the only piece of text contained on the poster that is not included

for informational purposes. This quote contrasts with the image that is underneath the quote;

while the image is depicting a more fun and lighthearted environment, the quote displays a rather

serious tone. This is similar to how the use of two contrasting colors are used in the poster, where

they represent different mindsets that take place within the movement. The quote and imagery

work equally together, unlike the OWS poster, in order to convey their message. Both are needed

in order to convey the right message, otherwise the poster (and the movement) would appear too

serious or too lighthearted.

In conclusion, both posters convey a message that invites its audience to engage in their

movements to bring about social and political change. The OWS and RTS posters employ an

effective use of imagery, color schemes, and text in order to extend their invitation to engage.

Both movements are examples of using occupation as a way to bring about change, and in recent

years this has become more common; during the protests over George Floyd’s death in 2020, an

“autonomous zone” popped up in Seattle, Washington. A reference to the broader Occupy

movement (of which OWS is an original part of) was made, and people in Seattle indicated they
had also participated in other Occupy movements (Bush), signaling that this type of event where

an area is occupied by protestors is becoming a more frequent phenomenon. Ultimately, the

intensity and frequency of these protests will only increase as more people grow more restless

over a perceived lack of change.

 Works Cited

Blanco, Julia Ramírez. "Reclaim the streets! from local to global party protest." Revista de

Estudios Globales y Arte Contemporáneo 1.1 (2013): 171-180.

Bush, Evan. “Welcome to the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, where Seattle protesters gather

without police.” The Seattle Times, 12 Aug 2020, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-

news/welcome-to-the-capitol-hill-autonomous-zone-where-seattle-protesters-gather-

without-police/

Jacobs, Harrison. “Millions of people from all over the world have visited this New York statue

— here's why.” NPR, 14 Dec. 2017, https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-wall-

street-charging-bull-new-york-city-2017-12

Lasn, Kalle. Interview by Neal Conan. “Occupy Wall Street: The Future And History, So Far.”

NPR, 9 Feb. 2012, https://www.npr.org/2012/02/09/146649883/occupy-wall-street-the-

future-and-history-so-far

Luxmoore, Nick. “The Pink and the Black.” Psychology Today, 16 Mar, 2012,

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/young-people-close/201203/the-pink-and-the-

black

Notes From Nowhere. We are Everywhere: The Irresistible Rise of Global Anticapitalism.

Verso, 2003.