The Orange Alternative

The Orange Alternative was an underground protest movement started in the 1980s by the students of Wroclaw (pronounced vra-swauv) University. At first it seems the students began to spray paint the dwarves on the sides of street corners as a symbol in opposition of the communist regime. They offered a peaceful form of protest to a wider group of people by way of nonsensical elements. This was to prevent the police from arresting anyone for opposing the regime without the authorities looking foolish. The dwarves were painted on paint spots that covered up anti-regime slogans. The campeign continued through the 80s and is said to have been a big support of the solidarity movement. The statue of the poo man standing on his mound of poo, on Facebook, was the first statue erected (I believe) in 2001. The rest of the statues are located all over the city. They have become a representation of the people in this city. They have books here that compare the dwarves to the people of Poland so really they have become a mascot.

Today, I took a trip to the post office after class and took pictures of the ones I came across. I'll post them on facebook as I find them. I also found another famous statue or group of statues that entertain me. These friends are located in the area of the main square that was previously a meat market. The artist designed them to pay homage to the animals that were killed and sold in the market. Today, however, they serve as an obstacle course for the drunk people exiting the pubs that surround it. I wanted to point out the careful eye for detail the artist had.