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Times Square Billboard |
For immediate release
HUNGARIAN CULTURAL CENTER presents
September 1st – October 31st (Times Square, corner of 50th Street and Broadway)
“Our Revolution Was Not A Movie”
This October 23rd commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The Hungarian Cultural Center in New York celebrates this event with a billboard in the heart of Times Square.
THE BILLBOARD
Displayed from September to November 2006, two billboards with photographs by professional photographer Erich Lessing and amateur Hungarian photographer Jenő Kiss, display the phrase “Our Revolution Was Not A Movie”. The billboard presents history-as-advertisement, presenting provocative images in a commercial format that both tries to sell history as sexy and relevant while critiquing its own agenda. They deliver a message that the revolution in Hungary had global significance and that the country is still proud of this historic event. But perhaps most importantly, these poignant photos and the message they carry portray the notions of courage and democratic freedom.
One of the billboards will display our website, www.reimaginefreedom.org which offers useful information about the history of the revolution as well as personal histories, photographs, and discussion forums.
What is the relevancy of revolutionary ideas in 2006? Can mass movements lead to positive social change anymore? The Times Square Billboard touches on what the role of the West can or should be in popular uprisings in other nations and the different ways the concept of ‘freedom’ is viewed. Although the ’56 Revolution took place in Hungary, the repercussions transcended time and place. The intention of the Times Square billboard campaign and the surrounding programming is to bring this historical event—its ideas and feelings, and the philosophical investigation of revolution—to the doorstep of the American public.
VISIT
447 Broadway, New York, NY, 10012 212-750-4450 or info@culturehungary.org |
