I created this piece in response to the riots that are occurring in the USA over the murder of George Floyd.

While the quote is paying homage to the great Dr Martin Luther King, the repetition of the word riot correlates to the multitude of the Black Lives Matter movement and the amount of riots that have taken place not only now, but continuously throughout the years in response to each ignored racial injustice. 

As the shapes are most obviously arranged to replicate the American flag, I have further organised each colour to represent something more. The placement of the red behind “UNHEARD” means all other red objects in the piece are also symbolising the unheard; likewise the placement of the yellow behind “RIOT” means the other yellow square in the piece represents a riot. The placement of the blue rectangle at the top is meant to portray not only the police force themselves but also their overall positioning in society; they are placed at the top because they work for the most powerful and top per cent of the wealthy of America. 

Furthermore the position of the shapes and colours has been created to tell a story of its own: as the unheard slowly rise up they eventually come into contact with the ultimate force of power, and at this intersection we are met with riots. Note the highest yellow square interacts more with the blue rectangle than the red, as it is the police forced who are instigating the greater degree of destruction. 

The overall design aspects of this poster are heavily inspired by the Bauhaus movement, as well as the art of printmaking, which I have attempted to replicate through the jaded edges and texture of the shapes throughout the piece.