The Civil Disobedience Suit – Protecting Protestors

Suited for Subversion: A Protective and Symbolic Protest Garment

The “Suited for Subversion” suit is more than just protective clothing for street protesters—it is a statement piece that highlights the risks activists face while defending their beliefs. Designed to shield wearers from police batons, the suit also serves as a conceptual prototype, reinforcing the tension between vulnerability and resistance in protest culture.

Inspired by the White Overalls, an anti-capitalist activist group from Italy, this suit follows their tradition of using protective yet visually striking attire. Members of this movement wore padded white overalls lined with bubble wrap and polystyrene, both as a means of defense and as a theatrical spectacle to attract media attention and public support. The “Suited for Subversion” continues this legacy by integrating modern surveillance and sonic elements, blending protection with performance.

Key Features of Borland’s Design

Borland’s design goes beyond physical defence, incorporating technology to document, amplify, and expose the realities of protest situations:

• Surveillance & Documentation: A wireless video camera mounted on the protester’s head captures real-time footage of police activity. Unlike traditional recording devices, this camera streams directly to a control centre, ensuring that evidence cannot be destroyed or confiscated on-site.

• Amplified Heartbeat: A chest-mounted speaker magnifies the protester’s heartbeat, transforming their physiological response into a sonic protest tool. This sound can be used in multiple ways, including:
  • As an audio representation of rising tension, echoing through the crowd.
  • As an amplification system for speech or music, enhancing the protest’s presence and message.
• A Collective Soundscape: When worn by multiple protesters, the synchronized sound of increasing heart rates creates a rhythmic, natural soundtrack, intensifying the moment’s emotional gravity. This unique feature exposes individual vulnerability, turning the fragility of the human body into both a tool and a shield against aggressive policing.

The Broader Impact on Protest Culture

Borland’s “Suited for Subversion” does more than protect—it challenges the perception of power in protest environments. By visually and audibly amplifying the protester’s presence, it subverts traditional riot gear, which is designed for anonymity and intimidation. Instead, this suit makes individuals hyper-visible, using technology as both a defence mechanism and a performative element.

Compared to conventional protective gear used in protests, such as helmets, goggles, or padded vests, Borland’s design prioritizes exposure over concealment. It forces observers—including the media, law enforcement, and the public—to confront the human cost of activism, turning vulnerability into resistance.

The incorporation of recording technology also reflects the modern reliance on citizen documentation, akin to the widespread use of smartphone livestreaming in contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter and the Hong Kong protests.

A Legacy of Resistance in Design

Borland’s suit follows a lineage of protest fashion, drawing from movements like the White Overalls, who used their visually striking attire to disrupt expectations and make political statements. The use of performance in activism has long been a powerful strategy, whether in street demonstrations, guerrilla theatre, or wearable political art.

As protest movements evolve, so do the tools of resistance. The “Suited for Subversion” is a reminder that protection and protest are not mutually exclusive—they can be intertwined to create a new form of resistance, one that is both defensive and deeply expressive.

Sources

Suited for Subversion (Prototype). (n.d.). MoMA. Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://www.moma.org/collection/works/94361

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