BRIEF 05: UNSUNG HEROES & HEROINES//INITIAL RESEARCH//OUGD603

looking closely at the brief:
unsung heroes & heroines.

‘The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.’ Benjamin Disraeli on heroes and heroism

‘There are two kinds of heroes. Heroes who shine in the face of great adversity, who perform an amazing feat in a difficult situation. And heroes who live among us, who do their work unceremoniously, unnoticed by many of us, but who make a difference in the lives of others.’  Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono President of Indonesia

‘I am of certain convinced that the greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs.’
  Florence Nightingale

un·sung

adj.

1. Not honored or praised; uncelebrated: an unsung hero.

istd brief:

Media produce constant articles and programmes on the rich and famous – tracing their life stories and celebrating their achievements. But what about ordinary people whose lives go unwritten – your gran’ or grandfather who lived through a war ... the old immigrant gentleman who came as a young man to be a doctor ... the group of friends who have travelled abroad to build homes for the poor ... the charity workers who save lives in disaster zones ... or perhaps the woman who beat breast cancer despite the odds... . People such as these continue to achieve great success with little or no recognition.

Let’s look for fresh and effective ways to celebrate these often un-recognised heroes and heroines.

initial ideas:

Reading the brief in detail has helped to generate some initial ideas.  I think this is something I will be quite interested in as I agree with the notion of the brief; 'Media produce constant articles and programmes on the rich and famous – tracing their life stories and celebrating their achievements. But what about ordinary people whose lives go unwritten.'  I think this is really important to look at, we constantly document the achievements and praise the rich and famous leaving them etched in our history, yet everyday people achieve great things that go unwritten, overcome struggles that are not recognised and face similar life experience that go unnoticed because of lack of status.  In most situations everyone will be a 'hero or heroine' to somebody...

heroine

ˈhɛrəʊɪn/

noun

1.

a woman admired for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

hero

ˈhɪərəʊ/

noun

1. 1.

   a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

   "a war hero"

   
   

   further thoughts

   For this brief I want to look at people who lived ordinary lives but whose lives tell an interesting story, with notable achievements.  I think the words 'hero and heroine' can be subjective and personal to the individual.  Its all relative to the people around them and the things they have achieved, what could be a heroic or noble achievement to someone may not have the same effect or impact on another as its personal.

   
   

   For this brief I'd like to tell some kind of story about an individual/individuals and I think its important to highlight that 'ordinary' people should not go unnoticed or unappreciated as we live in a celebrity obsessed culture where its very focused on fame and fortune.

   
   

   Another side to this project that I think would be quite interesting to look at is the memory of a hero, through the media and fame celebrities are remembered by most.  An ordinary person, once gone, has only etched memories in certain peoples lives, when the last person who knows/remembers you is no longer living, does that mean the memory of you dies with them?  With famous, celebrated heroes they will always be remembered through history, but how long is it until someone ordinary is forgotten?  How long until we are all just numerical figures that once walked the earth?  After years and years have passed and everyone who knew you is also gone, sentiment seems trivial.