NPQ, Summer 2009

BACK STORY: Islamic society was facing two choices: Either they could embrace the great modernization of the Western world’s extreme consumer excess, secularization, and diminished morals, or they could maintain their pious lives governed by extremist theocratic guardians. The leaders of the the clerical establishment, particularly those aligned with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were suppressing their people’s aspirations for democracy and created “The Great Refusal” of Western values.

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I found an image of Western shoppers that had a perfect camera angle: one where we are looking up to them, as if they have the power and status of what we desire. I posterized the image to create harsh colors and contrast to emphasize the extremist world of consumerism. I then used an image of a Muslim man with his back to them to signify Islam’s rejection, but also placed a protestor and broken glass to represent the disparity in the Muslim world.