Gangs of New York? No! This is a priest leading the protests against Armenia's Prime Minister here in Yerevan. Sitting in a cafe, preparing to down a flat white with extra sugar added to it, the sounds of car horns and and police sirens were all that could be heard. The funny thing? Specifically chosen was this cafe for its green surroundings and relatively quiet environment. It continued on for minutes, until going outside revealed it was the ongoing protests that have been shaking up Yerevan as of late. I hate politics. But for a quick summary: the Prime Minister is a fool that gives away land to its aggressors while the people clearly don't want that. I stood out in the street for a few moments, grabbing the camera and looking for something to photograph. Large crowds of people walked through the street, a few flags here and there. Nothing all that interesting at first. Seeming to die down relatively quickly. Though in the distance was a larger crowd that sort of pooled together in a weird fashion.
Soon enough the main attraction was visible as the car horns celebrated: a relatively fat man with a cross around his neck. Cameras fixed on the man that looked to have just gotten out of bed and was a bit lost on his way to the church. The media went wild!
The protests the other day were definitely more interesting, a lot more life to them, more dense and with celebrations rather than just people walking around a bit aimlessly. Some people chanted, throwing their hands in the air. For the most part it seemed like a bit of a midday march for the unemployed (I'm also unemployed, but let's pretend I am an ambitious, struggling photojournalist these days). To be honest, I haven't seen a whole lot of protests before, the English are pretty lazy, and those who tend to protest tend to be the youthful, hippy types that just create annoyances rather than actually protesting meaningful issues. I have flashbacks to walking through Westminster in the evening and seeing the Extinction Rebellion groups camping in the road and spreading weird diseases. Jokes aside, I do understand the importance of protests, though I just can't help but notice how much of a circus this world can be. Priests leading protests and revolution movements, the oddity of this world as it looks structured at a glance but is in fact more unbalanced than an alcoholic middle-aged single woman at a winery.
I actually have a ton of fun shooting such moments contrary to my cynicism. I tend to find natural engagements with the participants. Perhaps them seeing a camera and seeing people capturing their attempts at movement is of great interest to them. Sometimes we talk, share a few ideas.
Police presence is always high though. Hard to tell whether they're also making a statement or just actually trying to protect people from any potential harm. Though in the case of Armenia I think the real harm to people are the endless giving up of land and shawarma intake. Hard to get so big when your surrounding land becomes so small! From what I have seen, the police don't seem all that bad. They don't seem to have any interest in stopping the protests, not really taking a side and tend to just generally be doing their jobs to actually serve and protect. I suspect many of them actually agree with the opposition given they're observing their land being eaten up and not a single thing being done to protect it. In all seriousness, it is actually quite tragic. A historic nation with a leader that refuses to let the nation protect itself and maintain its history. What more can be done for its citizens? What hope is there when things only become smaller, more uncertain? I think it genuinely speaks volume when it's a priest essentially calling for war to ensure the protection of the nation's land.
Have you ever heard of that before? It's an odd concept for sure. But that's the weird time we're now in, and it seems the new norm is already, well, considered normal.
I think the lack of colour in these images does give things a bit more seriousness. To look at it in a more serious tone despite the odd contrast of what's really happening. But I think there's always something to consider here: things aren't always so black and white. Nothing really makes sense, we're all just frantic animals running around in their cage they've created for themselves. Sometimes colliding and throwing hands at each other. I'm reminded of a Russian film I recently saw: a man from the future is sent to a world in which its inhabitants haven't managed to grow beyond their medieval period. He can't intervene directly, but must find a way to influence them to grow while they maintain their barbaric nature that oppresses anything that seems actually logical and intelligent. A genuine reflection of reality. The craziness of it all. Sometimes, I think having a camera shows the holder this. To observe things through a lens almost separates.
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The black and white definitely gives more seriousness to the whole situation. I think you captured some really good shots