Biography
Who is the statue of?
In this section I present a very brief biography for historical context to provide background on the person who was the subject of the statue.
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Beginnings
Origin Story
How was the statue erected, and why? How did the creation of this statue capture the symbolism of the communities at that time whose values were espoused through its creation? In what ways did they wish to celebrate the particular historical figure in the statue? What are any written records we have of the narrative surrounding the commission and construction of the statue? What records do we have of its intent? Are there marginalized voices whose views may not have been considered at the time, and if so, who? In what way might this statue's symbolic connotations shape our picture of the historical period from which it nascent?
Intermediary Period
The lesser known
This period represents an interesting period of silencing even within my project. My own presentation makes it sound as if the statue simply remained, inert, a mere dead thing, during the intermediary period. Granted, in one or two individual statues in my project, I do present intermediary events regarding the statues being moved, relocated or repaired. But how about the public discourse or interaction regarding these statues? This, realistically, is an underemphasized part of my project. It has been largely ignored due to its being less essential to my analysis, but it is naive to pretend nothing happened during this period in that the statue, remaining in public and generally in a prominent place, did take a life of its own from the many years from when it was erected to when it was disassembled. Even in times when we have no records of the statue its life still existed and continued to interact with the other actual lives of the people who came into contact with it. For future research, it would be interesting to find what additional records may be uncovered about this “silenced” intermediary period. For now, I have simply included any photographs capturing the statue during this period; and any references I came across during my research, though unfortunately, this was not an area I actively sought documentation. Aside from these considerations, this section also serves to provide a brief list of major historical developments for a broader contextual picture.
Protest Period
The Protest Act and Beyond
The act itself: what was done to the statue itself (toppling, defacing, etc). What was protested, what was being contested? Was the primary subject of the protest movement the statue itself, or was it primarily symbolic as a representation of something greater within a larger protest movement? Regarding the statue itself, who was the person depicted by the statue and what did this person represent, from the point of view of the protesters? What particular aspects of the statue were being contested along with the personage it represented, implicitly or explicitly, including where it may have been located, its connotation of a place of honor in the public condoning ? Can we discuss any symbolism in the design statue itself? Did the protesters think of the statue as primarily symbolic, or did their consider its impact to extend past symbolism to possible consequences on a psychological and practical effects on people influenced by its presence (example)? Regarding the protest movement, what part big or small did the statue play in the protest movement? What did the protesters think the statue falling (or not) meant for the bigger picture of their protest movement? Was the existence of the statue, as a historical relic of our past made concrete as part of people's present-day experience, something essential and critical to the way people were impacted by the protest movement? In this sense is this a power the statues had to in fact uncover historical truths that may have otherwise been buried, crumbled, lost or forgotten? If so, can statues actually provide the opposite of silencing, as opposed to the question asked initially of them perpetuating silencing?
Aftermath and Result
Toppled or Untoppled?
What was the eventual fate of the statue? What was the result and after-effects of the protest movement it was a part of?
Commentary and Analysis
Food for Thought
This section will include additional analysis, commentary, thoughts, including quotes from and links to secondary sources
