Red star rising again

The iconography of Soviet communism is achieving cool status. Once associated with workers, heavy unattractive industry (and definitely not an attractive art form), the iconography is becoming increasingly seen in magazines, coffee places and things aimed at Youth. The particular favourites are definitely the more benign red star, Mao and the distinctive style of communist writing.

In Shanghai, Kommune is a one such coffee place using all the now cool iconography of the Soviet era and in youth targeted magazines such as Yen.

Little red stars are cropping up in all sorts of places.

Now metaphorically – what is the relevance and appeal of the soviet red star?

The origin of the pentagram is the human body – the head, two arms and two legs spread wide like Leonardo’s Vitruvian man. This interests me because of my interest in somatic metaphors and how bodily experiences relate to the human experience and emotions.

The Soviet red star however is said to represent the five fingers of the workers hand among other things to do with the number 5. (Apparently the origins of the star come from the red army who painted the tin stars worn by Moscow garrison solders red to distinguished them from other soldiers in retreat from WW1).