Transcript:
Page 1:
Narration at the top of the first page: “October tenth I attended David Lozano and The Center for Mad Culture’s live protest poster printing show in Chicago’s Fine Arts Building. The event was free to attend and it was free to make a poster with the letter press. Below are direct quotes from an interview I conducted with David after.”
Panel 1: David stands next to an attendee of the event. David says, “I’m David Lozano, I’m an international student at SAIC, from Bogotá Colombia, making voices visible.” The attendee holds a poster that says, “TIRED AND ALWAYS HOPEFUL.” David holds the print slab which shows the text backwards.
Panel 2: David is shown rolling ink onto a print slab. He says, “Posters are objects that need to be activated and activating people’s enthusiasm to make art was the goal.” In the next speech bubble, “I want to educate people how to think differently about the letter press, because the essence of the tool is to be used by several people.” In the next speech bubble, “There were the protests in France in 1968 where graffiti artists and students’ messages against the government were spray painted on the walls.” The next speech bubble, “It’s so easy to say anything, but to say something meaningful, that’s where you create community.”
Panel 3: A poster with a black and white figure and a short figure in between them. In French the poster says, “TRAVAILLEURS/ FRANCAIS/ IMMIGRES/ UNIS.” Beneath the panel is the translation, “workers/ french/ immigrants/ uniforms,” “1968 Litho (France) unknown artist.”
Panel 4: beside is one of David’s prints. It says, “NUESTRO/ RUIDOSO/ SILENCIO.” Beneath the panel is the translation, “our loud silence,” “2025 print (Bogotá, Colombia) David Lozano.” Below that is another speech bubble, “When walls talk they raise consciousness.”
Page 2:
In quotes, the text starts at the top of the page and funnels down, ending at the end of the table at the bottom of the page, which looks like an hourglass. David says, “The Center for Mad Culture has been creating these spaces for art education and that aligns with what I’ve been doing. They gave me this opportunity to relate political activism, mental health awareness, accessibility and diverse narratives. All these things touch each other because immigration policies have an affect on people’s lives and mental health. Immigrants are often criminalized, they are trying to push us to be mad people, in the sense of being dangerous. The Executive Order was Mad’s part of the show, but I’m facing that. It’s important for a population to be aware and to resist. These policies are enforcing population control and working with fear. Making voices visible is empowering people not to be scared. This space is like a utopia, it’s a space of resistance.” On the left side of the wall are black and white boxes, implying David’s prints and on the right wall is Mad’s large print that is labeled, “ENDING CRIME AND DISORDER ON AMERICA’S STREETS.” Two figures make prints at the center table, on either side of the hourglass text.
Page 3:
Panel 1: A participant holds a sign which says, “LOUDLY STAYING SANE SAFE SELF.” Some of the text is rotated.
Panel 2: A participant holds a sign which says, “FUERAD NUESTRA TIERRA.” Some of the text is rotated. To the right it says, “translation: ‘out of our land.’”
Panel 3: A participant holds a sign which says, “LOVE IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT.”
Panel 4: A participant holds a sign which says, “TURN ILLNESS INTO A WEAPON.” Some of the text is rotated.
Panel 5: David holds a sign that says, “It’s magical to see what people have to say.” A speech bubble above his head says, “I like moving cautiously in the sense that international students and international people have been targeted. If I was a citizen or back home I’d be more radical. That also talks about the times and finding ways of making reality obvious, obvious that what we’re living is not fair.”
At the bottom of the page it says, “Follow DAvid @polvo.eres and Mad @centerformadculture on instagram for upcoming events!” and “Comic by Cieneca Cooke” in the bottom right corner.
