Pussy Riot: Rebel and Create

It’s less of a question of Who is Pussy Riot? and more What is Pussy Riot? 

It is a Russian Punk Band that focuses on bringing awareness to corruption and in Russia and around the world. Their medium? Music. Deployed in a flash mob fashion that disrupts, makes noise and shocks viewers. Their purpose is to create waves. And that they have. 

(Photo of pussy riot in baklava)

They became internationally known when three members were arrested for crashing Moscow’s biggest cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church, by playing a punk song that criticized Putin and the strong ties between church and state. 

Aside from the members who were arrested, it’s hard to pin down WHO Pussy Riot is. This isn’t by accident. Formed in response to Putin being given back power, influencing intense nationalism and suppressing human rights, they aim to create a movement in which anyone can get involved. 

They wear their signature Balaclava masks in order to remain anonymous and encourage others to join. In the documentary, Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer they explain,”Anybody can take on this image. Masks, dresses, musical instruments, lyrics. It’s not too hard. Write a song, some music and think of a good place to perform.”

While they receive a lot of backlash in their home Russia, they are hailed around the world by supporters of freedom of expression and feminism.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2012/02/01/feminist-punk-band-become-unlikely-putin-foil-a12323)

During the World Cup Finals in 2018, Pussy Riot struck again by barging onto the field dressed as Russian police. As The Guardian put it, their aim was to disrupt the game, “They called for the release of political prisoners, the end for illegal detentions at political rallies, stopping the policing of people’s political views on social media and for more open political competition.”

We chose them and their movement to inspire a Victress shirt because anyone who aims to push our societies towards equity is someone worth praise. Using art to protest and peacefully bring attention to Human Rights issues is nothing short of badass. 

About the Design:

After watching their Documentary, countless interviews, and reading tons of articles about them and their antics, it became very clear that their main objective was to REBEL against status quo corruption, inequity, and violations of Human Rights. And their form of rebellion is to CREATE art by means of  ambush-style musical performances. This became the central idea to the design. 

Being a Punk Band, we wanted to create a Punk-inspired, monochromatic design that incorporates elements from the genre , as well as their cause. Buried in the design you can find mouths speaking out, symbolizing their use of their voices and music as well as their fight for freedom of expression. Intertwined in the fireball above the power fist, is the symbol for Amnesty International, a global human rights watchdog that members of Pussy Riot have worked with in order to bring more awareness to the Human Rights issues they faced and thousands of Russians face while in custody.