The Futility of Force is a continuation of my exploration of modes of representation of civil movements in the media. And how these images at times create a fragmentary us-them narrative. What began as a one-time series titled The State of Affairs developed into an ongoing exploration of the theme through various iterations. Then and now, the project researches civil unrest and protests around the world, gaining knowledge about each movement, its particular context, and demands.

The images explored in The Futility of Force are from Hong Kong, taken at the time of protest against the now implemented National Security Law. After many weeks of large gatherings in the streets. An image began circulating of police officers drawing their weapons on unarmed civilians. For me, it represented the crossing of a tacit threshold from which the general strategies for crowd control in a protest setting were rewritten for governments the world over. It made the opening of fire on civilians an acceptable solution. I represented those scenes in the Peak Riot pieces.

In hindsight, my research was naïve in wanting to rid the images of a biased narrative and give them the possibility of different meanings dictated by the viewer. For now, I aim to present them in their full significance and add my voice to the demands. Because what remains is the social discontent, the state of affairs persists as it was when I started this project.