Welcome to protester paradise (if there is such a thing.) We live in the future, where a country in a situation like Iran can communicate with the entire world on a neu-personal level. The situation is terrible, but the potential for positive change is fantastic. If you’re unaware of the situation in Iran at the moment, see Geotypografika for all the graphically concerned news you’ll need. Then come back here and experience the signs of solidarity. Below you’ll find a collection of photos and graphics from what’s certainly a small portion of this massively handmade, typographically beautiful, green-flavored movement.

UPDATE See the bottom of the set of pictures for daring street art / graffiti efforts from and unknown artist. Viva Green Sea!

Above: A humble offering from Geotypografika. 1/28/2010 UPDATE: New image, same offering. Viva Iran, Viva Geotypografika.

I saw the following on a simple twitter-influenced picture of the tweets carrying the head of the former president of Iran away. This picture is below, too. Take heed:

When democracy is faked, the people are forced to make it real.

Also check out this amazing message from Mister Arasmus pertaining directly to the photo collection and distribution method used in this post, specifically with these Iranian photos:

Message to News Organizations:

I have received a number of requests to use these photographs from multiple news organizations.

These are not my photographs. They have been collected from Twitter and other social networks. They are being gathered together in the Flickr collection for the convenience of the press and others and to ensure that there is an additional depository for these images in the event that their original location is compromised by hostile action.

As they are not mine, I do not have the ability to authorize their use. However, one major news network has decided that; “We recognize the risks people are taking to get the pictures out and intend to use as many of them as editorially appropriate. We will not currently require formal license agreements considering the situation.”

I would invite your news organization to reach a similar decision and to use all photographs that do not contain a watermark, or annotation, indicating that they were taken by professionals.

The individuals that took these photos, risked their lives to do so and it is incongruous that having done so they would not wish these photographs to be used by the world media. In light of this I beg your news organization to use these photographs and to disseminate them as wide as possible. Constant press coverage by the international media is the only thing preventing a massacre in Iran. The re-publication of these photographs will help to save lives. There is a clear moral duty in this context. Be human.

A common message on signs, usually written in Arabic, reads as thus: “Our green vote was not your black name” or “My green vote was not your black name.” Another is “We break the idol not the glasses.” The most commonly used phrase is “Where Is My Vote?” or “Where Are Their Votes?” – the images that look like they were rendered to be used in a viral manner, well, that’s probably what they are there for.

Dis party be global.

Contributors to this collection include artists, designers, photographers, and all manner of citizen soldiers: Erik Brandt, Dan Reed, Donya, Farhad Rajabali, Hamed Saber, Igor Clark, Farhad Rajabali, Pedram Veisi, thiagorpedro, Hasan Sarbakhshian, Mister Arasmus, Banksy (ironic occurrence,) mousavi1388, Sina Haghany, Scozzese, Ben Curtis, mousavi1388, Hamed Saber ++, Bahramks, Mark Baker, Chuck Soper, SharingTag, Peymanrelax, amirsp, Fox in Space, LexieLovesYou, prestwickuk, Amindarbandi, mattrent, mummyinahurry, HeyTammyBruce, ari2881, bakyelli, juliavnt, sarzamini, Alyssa_Milano, spookyet, warpafx, kirstengronberg, absinthedisco, braincoffee, scumbagnation, andreasl, Tazjin, mightierthan, geotypografika, Marina Córdova Alvéstegui, mehdi, Frying Pan Fire for the graffiti update, and of course, lots of friends of friends of friends of friends.

And wouldn’t you know it, music on the streets, by the streets, for the streets. Check out this video by Hichkas called “Bunch of Soliders.” Iranian rappin. This presented by HipHop who, through a contact in Iran, report the following:

“Cellphones and text messaging as well as internet in Iran has been cut off in the government’s attempt to curb communication between the youth so the rappers are making songs,” the source continued. “[Rappers are] telling and passing out [information] telling people where to go and meet and the issues going on. Its becoming the music of the revolution.”

Thanks to an anonymous rabbit for this hott tip.

September 8 2009 Update Updates continue on sites such as http://iranallday.blogspot.com/ – but the New York Times timeline has stopped. Is it over?

Roya Teimouri, an activist in the Iranian expatriate community speaks to attendees of Saturday’s (July 25) Westwood rally at the Federal building where approximately 300 people turned out to show their support for the people of Iran who have been brutally attacked by supporters of the Islamic regime for protesting what they believe were fraudulent elections recently. — Images from LA