DAY 50

SOCIAL & POLITICAL COMMENTARY

Unity

A SIGN OF AGREEMENT

Unity signifies a coming together, a combination of disparate parts and pieces, ingredients, or ideas, to create a whole. The results may continue on as a unit or may separate into different sizes, shapes, or content than they arrived in, only to be turned out into the world at large. Therein lies the curiosity about unity—when does it stop being whole?

In political and social commentary, unity may be temporary, have a purpose that designates its life span or requires a longer existence than expected. Unity can arrive after a disagreement and may indicate a combining of forces, ideas, or some sort of compromise. Symbols of unity in these instances encompass the handshake, photo opportunities with national flags—important statuary and famous buildings are common, too. Photographs of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, during the later part of the 2008 presidential campaign, show the mimicking of gestures between them, another common symbol of unity.

Lauri Lyon’s photographic essays Flag: An American Story and Flag International place the ultimate American symbol of unity into the hands of individuals. Each photo shows the momentary unity of human and symbol. The work creates a social narrative for the viewer to examine. —MLR