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The Coexist image (often styled as "CoeXisT" or "COEXIST") is an image created by Polish, Warsaw-based graphic designer Piotr Młodożeniec in 2000 as an entry in an international art competition sponsored by the Museum on the Seam for Dialogue, Understanding and Coexistence. The original version was one of dozens of works displayed as large outdoor posters in Jerusalem in 2001.
Contents
- Creation COEXISTENCE art exhibition
- U2 Vertigo Tour
- Bumper sticker
- Legal disputes
- Versions and other variations
- References
Variations of this artwork have been used as bumper stickers and elements in rock concerts.
Creation – COEXISTENCE art exhibition
Piotr Młodożeniec, a Polish graphic designer based in Warsaw, had his original work chosen by a jury to be one of several dozen images to be displayed as 3 m (9.8 ft) x 5 m (16 ft) outdoor posters as part of a touring exhibit sponsored by the Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem. The exhibit opened to the public in Jerusalem in 2001.
His original image consisted of the word COEXIST in all capital letters, with the C replaced by an oversized Muslim Crescent, the X replaced by an oversized Star of David, and the T replaced by an oversized Latin Cross.
U2 Vertigo Tour
During the international 2005–2006 Vertigo Tour of the Irish rock band U2, the original version of the image played a key role. Shortly after playing "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own", the group would play politically-themed songs. During the opening portion of "Love and Peace or Else", Bono wore a white headband bearing a handwritten version of the word. In some venues, including Mexico City, the word was displayed on large electronic signs.
Bumper sticker
The image and variations of it are used as automobile bumper stickers.
The bumper stickers first began to emerge in the United States in the early 2000s in partial response to the military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan which began after the events of September 11, 2001. The stickers signify the capability or desire of humans to live together in peace.
One common version of the bumper sticker spells "COEXIST" using an Islamic crescent moon for the "C", a peace sign for the "O", a combination of the male symbol and female symbol for the "E", a Star of David for the "X", a pentagram for the dot of the "I", a yin-yang symbol for the "S", and a Christian cross for the "T". This version is perhaps the most common version of the bumper sticker.
The prevalence of the COEXIST bumper stickers has been noted in the Bay Area region centered on San Francisco. Users of the bumper stickers are often not practicing adherents of religion. This prevalence among politically liberal secularists has led to some ridicule about the inability of the bumper sticker to affect its target audience, or those who could benefit from the message.
The popularity of the bumper stickers has spawned several anti-Muslim responses, including one with the image of the crescent altered with the addition of explosives. Other parodies include a Communist hammer and sickle for the "E" and a swastika for the "X", indicating the dangers inherent in all ideologies.
Legal disputes
In 2005, Młodożeniec and U2 were unaware of each other. They were also unaware that a company in Indiana already filed for a trademark in the United States in 2003. At the time, as there was no official U2 merchandise carrying this image, U2 fans created their own. The Indiana company filed suit against companies like Cafepress in May 2005 in an effort to stop unauthorized merchandise sales. Młodożeniec's attorneys maintained that he owned the copyright to the image. Separately, The Museum on the Seam, which sponsored the competition in which the original image first appeared in public, claimed legal rights to the image.
Versions and other variations
The following table shows the individual characters of the more well-known versions, either as Unicode characters, icons, or descriptions.