In June of 2013, Brazil was overtaken by a series of large-scale popular protests demanding improvements in the utility system and questioning the high levels of corruption in the spheres of power.
The repressive forces of the state, through the excessive police violence against protesters, raised a questioning about the public representation system and the role of traditional media, as those who attended the demonstrations saw that many situations narrated by the TV news did not correspond with what was really happening on the streets.
This approach of the media has created a division in public opinion in relation to the outbreaks.
On October 15th 2013, during one of these manifestations, the artists Ariane Hime and Fernanda Vizeu organized an act in which they remained seated dining in front of a television screen, alienated from the reality of the protest around them.
Even during violent clash between police and protesters (with rubber bullets, fire guns and tear gas bombs), the artists protected themselves with gas masks and remained in resistance.
The photographer Byron Prujansky, who was passing by, took a photo of the scene. The photo, entitled by him as “And the people in the dining room”, referencing the music of the Brazilian group Os Mutantes, spread quickly across social networks, obtaining large number of views and gaining national and international audience.
Other post-performance records revealed that when the artists had finally fled from the bombs, other protesters took their place and kept alive their message.
UNTITLED OR AND THE PEOPLE IN THE LIVING ROOM (2013)
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro | Ariane Hime and Fernanda Vizeu
Fernanda Vizeu (Autor da publicação)
