PublicAdCampaign has spent nearly 10 years investigating the relationship between commercial media and public space. The resulting projects have balanced somewhere between art and activism in an effort to not only question commercial outdoor media, but to improve the visual landscape. While this activism has often taken the shape of civil disobedience and borderline legal activities, it has always focused on the democratization of our shared media environment and a more user friendly approach to public space curation.

Two years ago that focus found The Heavy Projects and Augmented Reality technology. With the ability to leap private property boundaries and to democratize our shared visual environment, PublicAdCampaign sees AR playing a vital role in the democratization of public space and in the cities of the future. We are excited to present two new videos from Re+Public, a creative collaboration between The Heavy Projects and PublicAdCampaign.

check out: www.republiclab.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

These proposals are bad deals that don’t solve fiscal problems (at best, they’re a drop in the bucket). Real creativity would be finding ways to solve the financial issues at their core. The job of government is not to parcel out city property to private industry.

Note that in this story, they never mention how much the shortfall is, what the root causes are, or how much putting ads on firetrucks will bring in.

Print & Paste is a curated outdoor art space in central Manchester, located just off Oxford Rd opposite the old BBC building. Every month a new artist is invited to exhibit work on a large 16-sheet board traditionally used by advertisers. We aim to support the artist and inspire the public by using the space for freedom of expression, positive social commentary, and the exhibition of original work. Print & Paste is a collaboration between Micah Purnell, Dave Sedgwick, Nick Chaffe, and Jim Ralley. It is facilitated by Daniel Jones.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The California Department of Corrections (CDC) has unveiled a new campaign of bus shelter ads to confront America’s home foreclosure crisis.

During the week of January 16th, the CDC successfully apprehended, rehabilitated and discharged more than one dozen bus shelter advertisements throughout San Francisco, including the intersection of California and Davis Street, one block from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The CDC’s red, white and blue advertisements declare: MORTGAGE IN TROUBLE? OCCUPY THE BANKS along with the website, www.OccupyWallStWest.org. Produced with the assistance of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the corrected advertisements feature the rooftop of an American home set against clear blue skies with the phrase: Making Home Affordable.

The corrected ads were released shortly prior to January 20th in anticipation of a day-long, nonviolent shut down of San Francisco’s Financial District by Occupy SF. January 20th also marks the one year anniversary of the controversial Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which granted First Amendment protection to corporate political expenditures. Occupy protestors are demanding a halt to predatory foreclosures and evictions by banks and the end of corporate personhood. They will be taking their demands directly to the offices of banks and corporations in San Francisco to stop business as usual on January 20th.

The rehabilitated advertisements are currently at liberty and seem to have successfully readjusted to public life. However, these ads will remain under surveillance by department staff to prevent recidivism and any potential lapse into prior criminal behavior.

Founded in 1994, the CDC is a private correctional facility that protects the public through the secure management, discipline, and rehabilitation of California’s advertising. The department was initiated by individuals who felt that public correctional facilities were insufficiently managing the state’s most criminal elements and that effective care and treatment would improve under the supervision of a private institution.

For more information on the operations and programs of the CDC, contact the California Department of Corrections Office of Communications at cdc@revolutionist.com.

Over a year ago I interviewed for this documentary about visual pollution. In my research as an artist over the past 12 years I have learned more than most would ever care to about public space, graffiti laws, the advertising industry, and the ugly underside of marketing. I haven’t seen this film yet, but I’m glad to see the message making it’s way out with voices from within and without the industry.

It premieres at IFC Center in New York next week on November 5th.

About the “This Space Available” Film

Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Clips

Steve Lambert talking about an illegal billboard

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jordan Seiler organizing the whitewashing of illegal ads

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jordan Seiler

Click here to view the embedded video.

PublicAdCampaign is proud to announce the world premier of the documentary film This Space Available. This full length feature focuses on the issue of visual pollution in our global community. Intent on creating a critical dialogue on the issue, the film investigates a wide range of perspectives including those of billboard executives, government agencies, and public space activists like myself. While the film will eventually be widely available, DOC NYC will be premiering the film on Saturday November 5th at 7pm at the IFC theater in New York City. There will also be a Q&A after the screening for viewers to question the film makers and a few of the subjects. We hope to see you there.

To purchase tickets for the This Space Available premier at the DOC NYC fest at the IFC theater on 11-05-11, please visit the DOC NYC website [HERE]. Remember there is limited space available so get your tickets now before they are all gone.

The grassroots movement against visual pollution

A documentary film directed by

Gwenaelle Gobe

Executive Producer: Marc Gobe/Emotional Branding

World Premiere at IFC Center/ New York

Saturday November 5th Time: 7:00 PM

Tuesday November 8th Time: 1:15 PM

via Public Ad Campaign: This Space Available – DOC NYC World Premier at the IFC Theater.

Details:

Saturday October 15th from 4pm-7pm (demos start about 5pm) In the Studio for Urban Projects. 3579 17th street (at Dolores) San Francisco

The launch will feature several demos, including ‘how to make and use wheat paste to put up posters’, a demo from the Center for Tactical Magic, and more!

Destructables is a sort of online anarchist cookbook without the weapons and with a lot more art and humor. The site features user-generated, step-by-step instructions for performing a wide range of public actions, such as: shop-dropping (putting fake products in stores), protest strategies, wheat-pasting, making protest props, interventions, methods of civil disobedience, and many other forms of dissent. The projects range from the practical and tactical to the creative and illegal. We wanted to put these tools and resources into one convenient place. To make a living archive and resource for the art and activist communities where people can share what they’ve learned. The site already includes contributions from high profile groups the Yes Men, Crimethinc, and the Center for Tactical Magic.

Destructables.org was made possible through the generous support of Southern Exposure, Di Rosa and through tactical support from Crimethinc, and the Center for Creative Activism. Thanks to the Studio for Urban Projects.

Hope you can stop by!

Pixel Hacking – Decorando la publicidad

If you missed the previous rounds, check em out here:

1. Abstractor.tv – Ji Lee
2. Light Criticism – Anti-Advertising Agency and Graffiti Research Lab
3. Pixelator – Jason Eppink
4. Hold Fast Sell Out – Posterchild
5. Stained Glass – Posterchild

And of course Aram Bartholl had a roll in the lineage.

via Ban Billboard Blight.