Circle-A

After forty years from the libertarian explosion of 1968 this new and very original illustrated volume shows the worldwide diffusion of a symbol. Born with political connotations, it has become one of the most popular symbol to mean not only anarchism but also transgression in all its forms. As a matter of fact the symbol has been and is written as graffiti on walls all over the world, scrawled on the youngsters' backpacks, printed on T-shirts, broaches, caps and even on male's underwear. What are the reasons of such a quick and full fortune? Easiness mainly. This is the reason why the circle-A is one of the most impressive symbol (just as the cross, the hammer and the sickle, the swastika ) and with the advantage of being easily drawn on the wall in just a few seconds.
So the circle-A travelled through the world full of libertarian passion, but quickly the punk culture got it as its own mark, by spreading it in other countries, particularly in North America, Asia and in the former Communist countries. The step from libertarian activism to artistic and musical imagery led to different interpretations and odd uses and abuses of the symbol, and even to commercial exploitation (i.e. the American company Eastpack produces a circle-A backpack's collection recorded as "Anarchy™" ). So the circle-A had a worldwide success but on the other hand it lost its anarchical origin. Is there "a deflation" in the change of a strong symbol into a useful brand? No, said one of its putative father, the circle-A still has a powerful rebellious communication characteristic which can live together with the political function. Unexpected effects of chaotic movement.
 
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