Débora Silva 3D scans Black Lives Matter protestors "to immortalise this historic moment"

Digital artist Débora Silva has created a series of 3D scans of people who took part in the Black Lives Matter protest in London's Hyde Park on Wednesday, following the death of George Floyd in police custody. 

Each of the scans, which Silva posted to Instagram, shows a digital version of an individual protestor who took part in the march to support racial equality in Hyde Park in London.

"Since the death of George Floyd, an unprecedented amount of activism has been witnessed all around the globe, which was strongly driven by social media, activating protestors in dozens of countries," Silva told Dezeen.

"Here I wanted to bring the real protestors into the digital space in a series of images that haven't been seen in protest photography."

Silva hopes that the images will show the individual protestors in a new light, but also portray the wider collective of people around the world that are currently protesting.

"I believe that the portrait of the individual is significant when it represents the collective," she explained. "My series of portraits focus on the individual but aims to portray us all – diverse and united for a cause."

Floyd was killed in Minneapolis on Monday 25 May when a white officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

His death prompted protests demanding racial equality that spread across the United States and have been repeated in countries across the world. Silva captured these images at a protest in London's Hyde Park on 3 June.

"I decided to create these 3D scans following the work I do as a digital artist in which I create digital sculptures that depict people or events that I consider significant," she explained.

"I hope to immortalise this historic moment, it was one of the ways I found to contribute and participate in what I believe to be an important and necessary revolution."

Silva believes that the 3D scans will stand alongside the numerous photos and videos that have documented the protest and protestors, likening the medium to sculpture.

"3D scans are an alternative to photos and video, they do not replace them," she said. "I chose 3D scans as my medium due to the proximity to sculpture."

Other designers and artists have reacted to the death of Floyd by sharing illustrations and resources to draw attention to the Black Lives Matter cause, while artist Jammie Holmes flew banners depicting Floyd's last words above US cities.

Architects and designers also joined over a million people in posting a black square to Instagram in solidarity with those protesting.

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