The Material Culture of the Inauguration: Observing Visual Displays

Amidst the crowds and traditional events of this momentous and historic inauguration weekend was another type of display that had and will continue to have a lasting effect on how we remember the inauguration of President Barak Obama. I originally set out to observe window displays of stores, restaurants, homes, and even on moving transportation. And while I saw some remarkable displays of artwork, paraphernalia, and thoughtful messages displayed across Washington DC’s windows, the displays that shocked and inspired me most were the “live” displays of how individuals were publicly celebrating this event.

Never before has Washington D.C. seemed so alive, so energized, so proud – not to mention the colossal sense of patriotism and nationalism expressed by everyone at Sunday’s concert, Monday’s MLK celebrations, and Tuesday’s inauguration. As I walked through the neighborhoods of Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, and U Street, I discovered that the window displays, wall graffiti, and bus billboards sometimes prompted the live public displays which were so fascinating and sometimes were very secondary, serving as if they were textual support for the greater message. This is not to undermine the messages of these window displays. Some were truly inspirational and thought-provoking. Just from self-observation, it was clear that amongst all the window displays I saw, one got the most attention, and rightfully so. It was a sign in the window of Georgetown’s Lululemon Athletica surrounded by manikins “acting out” the quote, which read:

“Rosa sat so Martin could walk. Martin walked so Obama could run. Obama ran so our children can fly.”

Once you get past staring at the three manikins in colorful workout clothes who are set up to be walking, running, and flying respectively, the message of the quote can start to sink in. The implications of this message are undoubtedly moving and stir many of the common emotions felt and expressed during this weekend. It reflects the history and triumph of African Americans and epitomizes the reality that America is now a racially non-discriminatory society. We’ve reached a level of racial acceptance that was inconceivable for decades; what our children will be able to accomplish years from now is a mystery, but looks promising.

Not many signs and/or other types of visual displays filled the windows of Georgetown or Foggy Bottom, other than the dozen or so Obama signs in residential windows. However there was the barber shop that I discovered later on in Logan Circle that had a picture of Obama getting his hair cut in their window. Whether this was a marketing technique or just enthusiasm for Obama going to a barber shop like any old Joe, I don’t know, but nevertheless, it was a unique window display. It wasn’t until I came to Dupont Circle that I found the most mouth-dropping live display of them all. Propped up in the middle of Dupont Circle was a mammoth inflatable George W. Bush doll, standing at what appeared to be about 12 feet tall. He was dressed in a military uniform, holding his helmet, with a nametag that read “Bushocchio.” In front of him was a sign that said “Give Bush the Boot.” Surrounding him stood a mass of people (about 100), all throwing shoes at him. People were cheering and laughing, videos and pictures were being taken, and there was a giant inflatable George W. Bush with an elongated nose and hundreds of shoes being thrown at him and on the ground below him. If this wasn’t the most symbolic live demonstration of American hate and resentment for our president of the last 8 years, I don’t know what else is.

This of course wasn’t the only place people were snapping pictures and taking videos with their cell phones. The hoards of people stopping at any store with a window display or in front of any wall painting on the outside of a building photographing, video-taking, or just stopping to converse with the stranger next to them was a display in itself. Walking past Dupont, into the trendy Logan Circle neighborhood and finally into the artistic, cultural, and semi-rough U St. corridor was where this was most evident. American flags were draped everywhere. Christmas lights were hung on lampposts with Obama signs everywhere. Store after store on U. St. had manikins in the windows sporting Obama t-shirts. An art gallery had a black and white portrait of Michelle Obama in the window, next to a modern photographed montage of Obama portraits. And almost every other building had painted on it the colorful Obama “Hope” and “Progress” posters. And without a doubt, in front of each one was another hoard of people documenting on cell phones the images that will fill the pages of our children’s history textbooks.

Second to the masses of people throwing shoes at the inflatable George W. Bush, which, frankly, resembled a suppressed nation publicly throwing down a communist dictator, another large crowd gathered at the corner of 14th and U St, taking pictures of what was either a wall mural or a graffiti illustration of the giant Obama “Progress” image next to an image of Obama’s patron saint, Abraham Lincoln. The illustration of the two of them next to each other exemplify not only the immense respect Americans have for these two individuals, but also both the strong similarities people see in these two public figures and the expectation that Obama’s presidency will be on the same caliber as that of Abe Lincoln. While this expectation exuberates a sense of optimism from the American people that has seemingly been suppressed for eight years, we can hope that it’s not too idealistic of an expectation for a man who hasn’t even been officially sworn-in as president for 24 hours.

Immediately having realized that I forgot my camera on this little excursion around the city, I am proud to say I was one of the hundreds of people taking a plethora of pictures with my cell phone. And this is when I realized that the hundreds of visual, and sometimes live, displays around the city are more than just messages or artwork. They are a means of bringing the community together in this exciting and hopeful time of change. There really was a sense of comradery and zest in Washington that I’ve never seen in the nine years I’ve lived in this city. The window displays, the material displays, and the live public displays embody the idea that now, finally, we are one.