Credit: Dan Strange. All rights reserved. Click to enlarge.
In the illustration I was looking for a bold, defining image of change through community action. However, the nuanced nature of Jane McAlevey's article made clear that a simplistic 'together we can achieve anything' image would be besides the point.
I therefore sought for an image which conveyed the difficulty of organising community action, and the importance of 'a voice' as a major part of any struggle. A small, somewhat scattered, group of people holding up the prosaic activist's loudspeaker seemed to fit perfectly.
This small group could also, ideally, suggest the power which larger groups may have - as hoped for in the article itself.
McAlevey's mention of "corporate dominance" as something greater than the issue of unionisation and the housing market - as a continuing battle - suggested the figure of the corporate colossus.
Whilst the community action can break the logic of profit which keeps affordable housing from the masses, the image of the colossus hopefully defines "corporate dominance" as something on-going which will require other battles, and further instance of community organisation.
