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How Projection Mapping Brought Bangladesh’s July36 Revolution to Life

How Projection Mapping Brought Bangladesh's July36 Revolution to Life
Projection Mapping

How Projection Mapping Brought Bangladesh’s July36 Revolution to Life

How Projection Mapping Brought Bangladesh’s July36 Revolution Memorial to Life

Can a wall talk? In the right hands, yes—it can scream. It can cry, protest, and even lead a revolution. That’s the story behind Graffiti aLive, a powerful tribute project using projection mapping to honor one of the most intense moments of modern resistance: the July36 uprising in Bangladesh.

This wasn’t just another art show. It was an emotional response, a digital resurrection of the cries etched in paint across a nation’s walls. And for many of us who lived through that chaos and change, it became the canvas of memory and movement.

July 36: The Day Bangladesh Refused to End July

While most of the world neatly wrapped up their July calendars on the 31st, in Bangladesh, the month kept ticking forward. From July 32 to July 36, the people held their ground in a fierce, unified movement to topple a government that had defied logic, legality, and democracy for far too long.

The regime had lasted nearly two decades—propped up by a mix of force, corruption, and media manipulation. It wasn’t elected, it wasn’t accepted, and yet it held power until people said “no more.”

How Projection Mapping Brought Bangladesh's July36 Revolution to Life

Art as a Weapon: The Rise of Graffiti During the Uprising

Once the protests began, the state immediately clamped down on social media and cut off the internet, hoping to disconnect the protesters. What the regime didn’t count on was the oldest and rawest form of expression—graffiti.

With every brushstroke and spray-painted word, the people’s anguish became public, impossible to silence. From Dhaka to Chittagong, from university walls to marketplace stalls, the rebellion bled color.

But this wasn’t mindless tagging—it was filled with poetry, pain, symbolism, and rage. Each piece told a story. And it was these stories that Graffiti aLive set out to preserve and amplify.

Graffiti aLive: Projection Mapping as Visual Resistance

I’m a projection mapping artist, and like many others, I felt helpless watching the brutal crackdown unfold. But I also felt something stir when I walked through the streets and saw the graffiti—messages crying for attention, for justice, for hope.

I asked myself: What if I could make these images breathe? What if these static messages could speak back in light and motion? That’s how Graffiti aLive was born.

With the help of MadMapper and a network of brilliant creatives, I began projecting these graffiti artworks on urban canvases, transforming walls into multimedia installations that pulsed with life.

🔹 Get started as a VJ:
https://tinyurl.com/Start-VJing

Projection Mapping in Action: How It Worked

The project used a combination of static graffiti photographs, layered with animated textures, visual effects, and sound design. I used MadMapper, one of the most reliable tools for real-time projection work, to achieve seamless overlays that fit perfectly onto building contours and urban surfaces.

Every projection was mapped with precision:

  • Faces of the fallen faded in and out.
  • Graffiti slogans shook with simulated sound waves.
  • Blood-red overlays poured like ink down building facades.
  • Eyes painted on walls blinked in slow motion, watching over the crowd.

In those moments, the walls spoke again—and they did so louder than ever before.

Honoring the Martyrs: Abu Sayeed and Others

One of the most emotional parts of the project was paying tribute to Abu Sayeed, the university student whose death at the hands of law enforcement became the catalyst for national outrage.

His name appeared in countless graffiti artworks across the country, and in Graffiti aLive, we turned those names into rising embers, beating hearts, and echoing chants.

The Role of Projection Mapping in Political Memory

Art has always had the power to remember, but technology has now given it the ability to retell, relive, and reignite. Projection mapping, unlike traditional art, doesn’t just reflect—it reprojects history in ways that can move crowds, spark debates, and immortalize moments.

Graffiti aLive wasn’t just about remembering—it was about refusing to forget.

Why July36 Still Matters

It’s easy to forget what you don’t see. That’s exactly why oppressive regimes often try to erase protest graffiti, shut down communication, and whitewash rebellion. But July36 will not be erased.

The fight wasn’t just against a dictator. It was against silence, against invisibility, against the erasure of truth.

Projection mapping allowed us to do the opposite—to make it larger than life, visible from rooftops, across plazas, and over government walls.

Why I Do What I Do

Many ask me why I choose to mix politics with art. My answer is simple: Art without a soul is decoration. Art with purpose becomes a revolution.

Through Graffiti aLive, I wanted to make sure every face painted in pain, every word sprayed in defiance, and every line drawn in hope would light up the night again.

How Projection Mapping Brought Bangladesh's July36 Revolution to Life

Want to Learn More or Support?

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💡 Thanks to #MadMapper for supporting this initiative with tools and resources.

👤 Follow me for more work & activism:
Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/zsabbir
YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/zunayedsabbirahmed
Patreon – http://www.patreon.com/zunayedsabbirahmed
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/zsabbir

🏠 StudioZ Official:
Website – https://www.studioz.com.bd
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/studiozz
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/studioz.bd

Final Words: Graffiti aLive Is Just the Beginning

We can’t bring back the lost lives. We can’t undo the trauma. But we can shine a light—literally—on what happened. Graffiti aLive was a tribute to the people of Bangladesh who took the boldest step imaginable: they dared to paint their truth.

And with projection mapping, that truth was finally visible to all.

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