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NY Post-Painters in Brush With Law
VIA The New York Post
By AMBER SUTHERLAND and LEONARD GREENE Posted: 4:03 AM, October 26, 2009 Five people were arrested yesterday for defacing billboards in an effort to replace ads with art. The five were among dozens armed with paint and brushes who spread out over lower Manhattan and whitewashed billboards to "reclaim" public space as part of a protest organized by the Public Ad Campaign. Three of the artists were charged with criminal mischief and making graffiti. The other two were still being processed last night. Adda Birnir, 24, and her boyfriend were painting flowers on a whitewashed billboard on Mulberry Street when cops hauled them off. "They were being completely peaceful," said Birnir's father, Bjorn, 56, who was visiting from California. About 80 members attacked advertisements throughout Manhattan with white paint and roller brushes, and filled the new blank canvasses with their own creations. Jordan Seiler, director of the Public Ad Campaign, said his group identified about 5,000 illegal billboards in the city. "New York is a beautiful, wonderful city," Seiler said "When you fill it with commercial messages, you turn it into a commercial space rather than a public space." Representatives from National Promotions and Advertising, which posts many of the ads, were monitoring the protest, and, in some cases, called police. A spokesman for the organization could not be reached for comment. In April, a similar protest resulted in four arrests. Kaylina Holman, 18, a high-school senior from Brooklyn, managed to paint green and orange abstract shapes on an Eldridge Street billboard without getting arrested. "I don't think the public needs to constantly have corporate agendas shoved down their throats," Holman said. Jonathan Askin, a Public Ad Campaign lawyer, said there is a double standard when it comes to billboards and art. "The city has lost several millions of dollars by not combating unlawfully posted commercial billboards," Askin said. "The enforcement is arbitrary." Labels: activism, ad takeovers, New York, New York Post, news articles, NPA outdoor, NYSAT, public ad campaign, public art, street art
Newest PAC Work
 I woke up half drunk cause last night was crazy! Had a feeling today needed to involve some art and a bit of takeover. Went to Da Vinci and bought some paper and voila. Art happens at all times of the day. PS: I met a couple that is going to do their wedding photos in front of this piece if it is still up tomorrow. NPA, leave it up till tomorrow you bastards. This will be a fantastic moment for the bride and groom to be. 18th and 10th avenue, NEW YORK, 09-25-09. Labels: illegal advertising, New York, NPA outdoor, public ad campaign, public art, street art
National Bestseller 09-22-09
The newest National Bestseller project posting went up on 09-22-09. This time around the books seemed to have a theme going for them. The Rich and the Righteous, Rulers of the City, Voice of the Heart, Love's Lost Melody, were all tragedies waiting to unfold. Indeed.   Labels: National Bestseller, New York, public ad campaign, public art, street art
National Bestseller Making Headway
  I'm always happy to see people noticing PublicAdCampaign work as it can often be overlooked by people trying to ignore the overwhelming amount of advertising they are forced to look at every day. It seems as if the National Bestseller Campaign has been catching peoples eye recently, randomly appearing on The Street Spot, Wooster Collective, and 12oz Prophet. Because of this I wanted to give everyone a quick heads up. I have recently been evicted along with the rest of my building and am in a state of limbo for the next month or two. As of now 30 books have made their way to the streets with many more to follow. The eviction doesn't mean I will be stop this project, it just means things might happen a bit slower. For this I apologize. Labels: National Bestseller, New York, public ad campaign, public advertising, public art, street art
A Night On The Town With NY Ghost
I met up with NY Ghost for the first time last Saturday. We walked around putting up posters for about 3 hours before we went our separate ways. These days I don't normally have a partner so it was nice for both of us to have a lookout and company. Our conversation mostly circled outdoor advertising and the city as a whole. It was wonderful to entertain a relationship built on a shared public experience. I highly suggest it. This image is from a series I am starting called "National Bestseller". I use the every page from a popular title to make a single sheet that fills a phonebooth advertisement. Because the materials are so cheap, this project is about numbers. For every page you see that has red in it, there are 9 others out there that were put up without the red addition. Go out and get learned people!   This image was produced by NY Ghost and was placed at 14th street and 1st avenue on the NWC. It was a brazen spot considering there were police officers directly across the street but nonetheless proved accessible. This is the first image of NY Ghost's that really cathces my eye and I hope he keeps up the good work.  Labels: ad takeovers, community, National Bestseller, New York, NY Ghost, phone booth, public ad campaign
NYSAT Project Map Now Public
 [ FULL INTERACTIVE MAP HERE] It's been three weeks since the NYSAT project took place on April 25th. I am just now making the project map public. In an attempt to build a coherent vision of what took place the 25th, this map offers images of 189 NPA city Outdoor advertising locations. Of those 189, nearly 130 show their progression from illegal ad locations, to whitewashed messaging boards, to artworks and communications created by concerned public individuals. The project, Lasting not much more than 24hrs, covered nearly 19,000 square feet of illegal advertising. Responses ranged in emotion, but were abundantly positive and often expressed interest in repeating the project. To all of those who participated, I hope you had as much fun as I did. I hope you came away empowered to use your communications to envision alternative uses of our shared public spaces. I hope to work with you again in the future. Labels: billboard takeovers, illegal advertising, MLCC, New York, NPA outdoor, NYSAT, public ad campaign
Something Happened Yesterday
Just Another Saturday Night
I'm In the midst of planning a large project and therefor have not made much of my own work lately. It was bothering me last Saturday night and so I rummaged through my studio for some materials to quickly put something up before I went out. Turns out I had some vinyl letters lying around and so I quickly put together this little subway moment. It's not much but doing something like this regularly keeps me sane.  Labels: ad takeovers, MTA, New York, public ad campaign, subway
PublicAdCampaign and PosterBoy in El Pais
 If you can read Spanish, indulge yourself in a text that I will be slowly translating over the next few days. This article appeared in El Pais today 03-13-2009, and was written by Barbara Celis, a journalist and documentary film maker. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to both of us about public space and the artistic process. Labels: activism, El Pais, news articles, Poster Boy, public ad campaign
NYC interactive
I guess the cat's out of the bag on this one so I might as well post it here too. This interactive piece was done by Joe Bernstien, and Ben Piven on the fine art of Subvertising. In it I install another weaving piece and Steve Lambert gives a brief explanation of his Ad Art Firefox hack. Thanks again to both of those guys for taking interest in our projects.  Labels: AAA, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, Steve Lambert, subvertising
Brian Lehrer Live-Cancelled
Recently PosterBoy and myself were asked to appear on the Brian Lehrer Live TV show, broadcast over the CUNY cable network. After having been approached by the producer, it became apparent they were interested in the politics of the activist artwork we both make. They made it abundantly clear that they wanted to discuss the social ramifications of work which challenged the current system of public space usage through social deviance and illegal activity. Obviously we were very excited for this opportunity and agreed to a Wednesday evening appearance on 02-11-09. After talking to PosterBoy, I explained to the producers that he would need his face blurred out and his voice manipulated in order to retain anonymity. (This was especially necessary given Henry Matyjewicz's recent arrest) Things seemed fine, and both of us looked forward to having a forum to openly discuss our work with someone known for attacking critical cultural and social issues. Tuesday morning I received this email... Hey guys,
I just got off the phone with the President of the CUNY television station, and I have some bad news. After thinking about the face blurring question he decided he is worried about legal ramifications for CUNY with having you guys on the air at all.
When we went deeper, he was too worried about the concept of what might happen, and he mentioned a few CUNY rules and regulations that I was not aware of. While I don't agree with his decision, it doesn't look like a battle that I can win right now, so we are going to have to cancel this Wednesday's interview.
Good luck with all that you guys do. I will be in touch next week when I've had a chance to take my case to the right authorities in person.
My apologies,The rest of this post is made with all due respect to Brian Lehrer and the rest of the crew. I was obviously a little upset at the opportunity passing before us to present our case in a respected public forum. I thought highly of the show for wanting to discuss what I think to be a very interesting and important public space issue. It struck me as odd that they would cancel, sure that they had over the years entertained other guests who were involved in illegal activities, both activist as well as less socially motivated crimes. This got me to thinking about whether or not they would allow a landlord or outdoor advertising company executive on the show that had been involved with illegal outdoor advertising. I looked back into their history and couldn't find any specific examples but guests have definitely come and gone with controversy. I came to the conclusion that they probably would not have legal issues bringing on a executive or landlord, despite that guest being responsible for illegally putting up advertising images in our public space. What is the difference between the two guests, and why would one have "legal ramifications for CUNY" that the other would not? It couldn't actually be the nature of the crime. If that was the case, one would think PosterBoy and I would be more readily accepted onto the show given that our crimes are meant to promote open discussion of another larger illegal issue in our city, while the crimes of the outdoor advertising industry were crimes committed in an effort to take advantage of the public for personal gain. Clearly the criminal behavior we promote has at its heart less criminal intent. What could be the difference between us and them in the eyes of the President of the CUNY television station? I started thinking of other people I have been compared to over the years, street artists, graffiti artists, urban pranksters. The terms kept flowing and I soon arrived at a term often used to blanket large swaths of critical outdoor visual activity, Vandals. It became abundantly clear that we were not being allowed on the show not because of our label as criminals, but rather because we were painted as social deviants. And herein lies the problem. Somehow in a strange manipulation of the facts, the severity of the crimes committed by individuals and those by large outdoor advertising companies, have been switched. The activist, or vandal, whatever you would like to call him or her, takes the brunt of the legal responsibility for illegal usage of the public environment, while those responsible for much larger crimes seem to hide in broad daylight. In fact this same situation has played itself out for years, criminalizing petty crimes while casting a blind eye on more traditional illegal activities perpetrated by the the outdoor advertising industry in the city of New York. I hate to continually refer to the same post over and over again, but The Anti Advertising Agency's post on the anti-vandal squad resonates to well. With 3,786 graffiti arrests in 2007, and not a single outdoor advertising perpetrator arrested, the city is telling us what kind of visual pollution it sees as criminal, despite what the laws may be. This is obvious without even considering the amazing feat undertaken by the NYPD to reveal the identity of these deviants, compared with the incredible ease needed to catch those responsible for outdoor advertising. So who is the Brian Lehrer show afraid of? Who would be upset enough to give legal troubles to a University because they entertained the socially minded mischief of a few public individuals? (I'm sure they are not that frightened by the actual legal ramifications but the fact that they are willing to entertain the possibility at all shows they don't want to take the risk of outing a very powerful industry in the city) I think the answer to this is relatively obvious and is yet another example of how outdoor advertising promotes a social environment which silences the individuals that live in that space. Labels: activism, Brian Lehrer, criticism, CUNY, New York, Poster Boy, public ad campaign
Newest Winter Weave Phonebooth Install
Instead of taking a still of this one I thought I would shoot a little video so you could see the weave and the piece in it's environment. Black yellow and purple are my new favorite colors now that a regular commenter declared them the colors of fag. Real classy buddy. Labels: ad takeovers, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, Van Wagner
PublicAdCampaign on Gawker
The Most Important Thing You Will Read About PosterBoy Yet Is A Lot Less about PosterBoy Than You Think
I would like to thank Steve Lambert and the AAA for their last post on PosterBoy regarding his arrest. Sometimes I am so busy trying to keep the content updated on this site, I forget that some of the important issues this content brings forward are not as obvious to the rest of the world as they are to me. That said there has been a flurry of activity around PosterBoy these days. Much of the activity has dealt with his recent arrest. Magazines and press that have run their opinions recently include, The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Press, The New Yorker, The Economist, Gothamist, Gawker, and soon El Pais in Spain. I'm sure this list does not include half the content PosterBoy has been able to create in the last six months through his simple yet incredibly affective idea. So they have arrested PosterBoy, or so the story goes. And yet we have all missed the point PosterBoy is trying to make. PosterBoy like many activist public space artists is trying to challenge the current state of our public environment. The very fact that his activities are criminal at all is a result of the power that outdoor advertising exercises over our public lives, and the lack of power that is given to individuals for whom this public space should function. (This public project is a good example of the good that comes about through public interaction with public space) What's almost too good to be true is that unlike other public artists, graffiti and street alike, his project directly questions this tenuous relationship. And still all we can pay attention to is whether or not he's really Henry Matyjewicz, and did he or did he not get arrested. By all means I will be there Monday morning at Henry's court appearance, and I undoubtedly am frustrated by the fact that he had to spend time in jail at all. The mere fact that the Anti-Vandal squad, ( a task force of 75) or whatever branch of the NYPD that was used to pull off an undercover sting operation to arrest someone who has single handedly created more dialogue about the use of our public space, is astounding. But lets forget for one minute the issue of his arrest and think about why he is in this position, and who might be a better candidate to take his place. The city runs a special task force through the DOB called the Sign Enforcement Unit. Headed by Edward Fortier, 5 individuals attempt to handle the overwhelming proliferation of illegal advertisements in the city. In fact their only task is to handle billboards, and yet they are swamped by the herculean task set before them. Often it takes them months to even get to illegal billboard complaints like this one, and even once they have located an illegal billboard, many more months of legal negotiations in order to finally have it removed. The cost of this task force as well as the legal battles which must take place, is paid for by YOU AND ME! PosterBoys activities cost you and I nothing, and instead of advertising content, he brings you critical issues. The best part about this, and what makes us arguing over who we think PosterBoy is even more ridiculous, is that we know the full names of every landlord which operates illegal signage in the city. That's right, all you have to do is type in the address of a building with signage on it, and you can see if there is a permit for the sign. If there is no permit, you have the full name of the person responsible. And yet here we are arresting one of the only people in our city trying to make us aware of this fact. What makes this whole thing even more absurd is that PosterBoy, for all his concerted efforts to bring to light this important issue, has made not a single dollar and remains committed to not profiting directly from any of this activity. Juxtapose the millions of dollars being made by the operation of illegal signage in the city by individuals whose names we know and for whom we need no sting operations and undercover detectives, and you quickly see for whom the public space is operating. It is our duty to PosterBoy, and all those individuals who have put their safety on the line to bring you face to face with this glaring issue, to channel our frustration and energy to outing the real issue at hand. Henry Matyjewicz is not only not PosterBoy, but the NYPD, by his arrest, has failed the public at large by ignoring the real culprits, and the motivation behind PosterBoy's activism. When discussing PosterBoy, let us not forget to talk about the other vandals operating in our city. This all just makes me think of the woman in the KCET Billboard Confidential video Part 3 saying, "It doesn't really seem like anybody cares and I don't really believe the city is capable of doing anything about it." PosterBoy has made you think about it, now lets make our city capable of doing something about it. Labels: AAA, activism, community, criticism, New York, NYPD, Poster Boy, public ad campaign
Winter Weave Easter Video
With all the activity around Poster Boy these days I haven't had a moment to post this video. I've been fielding an incredible amount of fan mail, legal offerings and in general, people who want to help or become a part of this movement. I am so excited to see the level of interest that PosterBoy has sparked in the public. It truly looks like a revolution. Wondering what the confluence of events that sparked all this may be, I came upon an interesting book, Lizabeth Cohen's, A Consumer's Republic. In it she discusses the political strength that came out of the consumer movement in the late 20's early 30's. It seems that a larger economic crisis like the great depression had forced consumers to stand up for themselves against a capitalist production system which had grown accustomed to taking advantage of them. Only in dismal economic times did people realize that they were standing by while larger corporations were making huge profits. I think it is safe to say that one of the motivating factors behind the public backing PosterBoy's activities with such fervor these days is this same sense of being taken advantage. If big business is gonna walk all over us, and outdoor advertising is one of those big businesses, we are going to fight back. It has become apparent that we aren't getting anything out of the current use of public space and it's making people stark raving mad. January 29th I taught a class for some art students on media activism. By actually producing a piece in front of them I hope to give them both the tools and the confidence to be able to go out and re-imagine the public environment they live in on their own terms. Labels: ad takeovers, criticism, New York, phone booth, Poster Boy, public ad campaign, public art, random thoughts, Van Wagner, Winter Weave
New Winter Color Phone Booth Install
 This piece went up at 13th street and 6th avenue today, January 29th, just a hundred feet off the avenue towards 5th. I had installed two of the sides late last night so that I would only need to install one side in front of the class of students I was talking to about art and practice in New York City. I'm very happy with the outcome, though its a little bright for my tastes. The weaving is a direction I'm enjoying. Its three dimensional nature makes it stand out from advertising which is always a concern when working within an advertising frame. The public has trained itself to ignore whatever content is shown in these spaces and I have to break that habit in order to convey my message. Labels: ad takeovers, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public art
Teaching the future in 2009
  I will be talking to a class of students tomorrow studying applied disciplines that are fundamentally engaged with society and culture within the art context. These pieces will be used as examples of my discipline in an effort to visualize the way an artist works within the confines of a given pre-described system. I am intending this work to pinpoint a distinction between medias reliance on the two dimensional and the common practitioners need to engage the viewer on a more physical level. Normally I would tell you where this is happening but given the recent hatred perusing this site I will have to keep my happenings off the radar. Labels: ad takeovers, New York, public ad campaign, public art, Stephanie Diamond, Van Wagner
Phone Booth Removal Instructional Video
Working Someone Else's Shoes
PosterBoy has been getting amazing web traffic lately and I love it. People are clearly responding to his work and I think it's an amazing opportunity to really push the issues surrounding outdoor advertising's control of the public environment. After all this is about change, and that requires a public consciousness growing. One of the things I've heard him reiterate time and time again is that this project is not his art as much as a form of protest that anyone can participate in. My work happens over public advertising as well so this isn't new territory but I thought I'd try my hand at his process. I gotta tell you it wasn't as easy as it seems on those videos of him. If you make a subway alteration please email it to me and I will post it immediately.  Oddly enough I missed my momma's birthday and she can't do dinner this Friday cause she has a date. Happy birthday momma, I love you. We can do Thursday. Labels: activism, community, MTA, New York, Poster Boy, public ad campaign, public art, subway
Pushing the Envelop When Art's Just Not Enough
This post is in response to the comment string left on the last post regarding PosterBoy's illegal billboard takedown. The fact of the matter is attention needs to be drawn to this issue. With such amazing work being done and little attention being paid outside the art community, maybe it takes something outside of conventional means like PosterBoy's billboard takedown to actually address the problem. Here are some examples of illegal work that openly challenges advertising's messages and more importantly use of public space, yet hasn't managed to get your panties in a bunch. Doctor D-London  Peter Fuss-Unknown  Jordan Seiler-New York City  Mantis-London  Unknown-France  Labels: activism, ad takeovers, Art, billboard takeovers, Brice Domingues, France, Mantis, New York, Peter Fuss, Poster Boy, public ad campaign, public advertising, public art, random thoughts
New Actions And Training
If anything, I've found that a single act of participation can ignite a lifetime of interaction in the public. With that in mind, as well as a large project I am cooking up with PosterBoy, I have realized the need to personally introduce people to the physical act of reclaiming public space. The invisible hand which seems to say that public interaction is off limits to the average citizen, is actually just that, invisible and ultimately non-existent. Once you have committed an act of social rearrangement you realize that you are truly free to do what you want with little to no consequence. That said, a now friend of mine who we will call John, asked me how he could do his own public billboard advertisements illegally. I having never actually changed a billboard and thought the first step would be getting our hands dirty, realizing that with a little bit of fearlessness and the right tools you can pretty much do anything. We set out last Monday afternoon to tackle three of my favorite public advertising venues for takeover, public phone kiosks, NPA outdoor street level billboards, and subway platform advertisements. I produced two phone kiosk pieces, two subway platform pieces, and prepared the paint for two NPA outdoor ad removals. The first thing we did was paint over the NPA ads, which John was slightly nervous about but finished without hesitation. The next ad we hit was a phone kiosk which he removed without batting an eye and on the downtown side of oncoming traffic. I explained that it was slightly more dangerous because a cop car driving up the street would be much more likely to stop him. He scoffed at the idea and removed the ad with me watching out. The last was the subway platform ads which he refused to do because it was mid afternoon. This was not such a bad call on his part because subway platforms are much less crowded late at night and you are less likely to see police. Nonetheless I showed him how it could be done and in the future I'm sure John would have no problem attempting this on his own. If anyone has any interest in running through the gauntlet, I am more than happy to provide the tools and materials for a fun afternoon on the streets.  Two different phone kiosk pieces, one posted by each of us  (detail of first)  NPA outdoor site we both painted over  Subway platform install which I did and John filmed  Subway Platform detail Labels: activism, ad takeovers, Art, community, MTA, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public art, street art, subway
Jordan Seiler: The A's To Our Q's
Wooster Collective recently got back into doing their A's To Our Q's section. Along with some other very interesting artists I had yet to see, they asked me to participate. Thanks again to Wooster for their unending support of the street art movement. from Wooster Collective Age: 29 Hometown: New York City Where do you live now?: New York City Where would you like to live?: New York City Who was your first hero in life?: Truthfully I've struggled with the hero concept for a long time. Often the sense of worship takes what I admire about people and places it out of context, and far out of reach. I prefer to see the people I look up to just as they are. The reasons I look up to them, their dedication, grace, sincerity, then become obtainable in my own life as well. What is your favorite thing to do on your day off?: I would like to go camping. I used to camp a lot and haven't for a long time. What is your favorite color?: Black or White, depending on the light Who or what do you love?: The gratification and purpose art brings to my life and to others around me. Who and what are some of your influences?: The city, its successes, its faults, and the overwhelming number of daily interactions that take place within it. Ralph Gibson whose photographs showed me how see line.  Wooster: What other artists do you most admire?I admire those who are steadfast in their dedication to an idea. Wooster: How would you describe your art to someone who could not see it?I work on the street over outdoor advertising in an effort to illuminate the glaring incompatibility between advertising's use of the public space and individual's interactions with the public environment. Given the works use of the public advertising frame and the issues of visibility that arise from that relationship, the images are often simple, bold, and graphic. The ephemeral quality of the art lends itself to a website which chronicles my activities and thoughts on the subject. Wooster: What other talent would you most like to have?There are so many. Lets start with being able to write a book. Wooster: What do you fear most?Having to pay for all the advertising space I've destroyed over the past 8 years. Wooster: What is your greatest ambition?To facilitate the creation of a public space that is open to all forms of visual interaction by challenging outdoor advertising's abuse of the public environment.  Labels: criticism, New York, public ad campaign, public art, random thoughts, street art, Wooster Collective
Blocked in China
So a friend of mine has made me aware of the fact that the Public Ad Campaign website is blocked when you try to access it from China. Subversive yes, but should the government be worried about the risk of this poisoning the youth and leading to the eventual downfall of thier government? I really don't think so. But I am glad to know someone is paying attention. Labels: China, public ad campaign, random thoughts
Posterboy PublicAdCampaign Collaboration
I contacted Posterboy after I read the article in New York Magazine about him. He had some interesting ideas and after he answered a few informal questions I realized his thinking was similar to my own. We decided to do a small collaboration just to see if we could get away with working in broad daylight together. All in all we hit 6 sites in a period of about two hours and it went off without a hitch. Here are the photos to prove it. Both of us think this has potential for something much larger. Remember, these locations operated by NPA outdoor are completely illegal.  Labels: Art, billboards, illegal advertising, New York, NPA outdoor, Poster Boy, public ad campaign, public advertising, public art, street art
On Destruction and Rebirth
I have wanted to write about destruction and rebirth for some time because my work is often seen as having unnecessary disregard for private property and a generally destructive motivation. Recently my computer died which I have used as an excuse for putting this task off longer, but while writing a paper arguing for a project proposal I have in the works, I came across some quotes which forced me to find a working internet connection and speak briefly on this topic. Enjoy. In Jeff Ferrell's book, Tearing Down The Streets: Adventures in Urban Anarchy, he often refers to Michael Bakunin's quote "The passion for destruction is a creative passion, too." He uses it over and over again to frame the many illegal activities he chronicles in the book including graffiti, pirate radio, and critical mass gatherings. I wasn't sure how to use this quote until I found some other descriptions of destruction in Mikhail Bakhtin's writings. Bakhtin talks about the medieval carnival and the "temporary suspension of all hierarchic distinctions and barriers among men and of certain norms and prohibitions of usual life." that was the trademark of medieval carnival celebrations. Rules governing behavior seemed to fly out the window at these events and any person or institution were fair game for scathing parody. In this atmosphere of open degradation, he argues that "an ideal and at the same time real type of communication, impossible in ordinary life, is established." Parody in an accepting and open environment like this was then creating channels of discussion where none were available before. What was essentially accepted civil disobedience to him was a way of degrading things openly, but not without the degradation creating something in its path of destruction. "degradation digs a bodily grave for a new birth; it has not only a destructive, negative aspect, but also a regenerating one." Seen within the context of the medieval carnival where critical discussion of important issues is acceptable without regard for power structure, destroying public advertising is merely an act of creation. The destruction is simply the tool I must use in order to facilitate the communication of my ideas and the creation of new understandings about our relationship to our shared public space. Labels: activism, criticism, public ad campaign, random thoughts
PACE University Street Walk/Talk
Tomorrow at 1:30 I will be meeting Stephanie Diamond and her Pace University Class at the SW corner of Wooster and Grand. Stephanie was an unexpected collaborator with one of my first public projects back December of 2000. I only found out about the conversation our work was having through a small article in the New York Times City Section. Stephanie has been kind enough to ask me to lead the class and her on a quick jaunt to see and discuss outdoor advertising and street arts relation to each other, and the public environment in general. Please feel free to join us. Labels: community, criticism, New York, public ad campaign, Stephanie Diamond
Thought I'd Get Funny Cause It's Late
 Thought I'd try the White on White using tape on the back of the plexi instead of painting the front. Not my favorite. Regardless this is me getting three new surfaces to work on despite the Van Wagner van showing up halfway through. Labels: Art, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public art, street art
White On White Project
 This is the 9th White on White piece located on the SWC of 17th street and Broadway. I was going to put this somewhere more discreet but then walked past that notorious newstand on the north side of the street and thought why not. By the way, the 7th White on White piece has been up since 10-08-08, which is incredibly long for this type of stuff. More HereLabels: activism, Art, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public art, street art, white on white
White On White Project
  This is the first in a series of white on white pieces made from white semi-opaque plexi and white enamel paint. This particular poster was placed at 16th St. and 7th avenue on the NWC. By day they should look like nothing, a complete elimination of the advertisement. By night the content becomes visible through the back lighting that reveals the image. This particular phone kiosk did not turn off during the day and has left a small band of lighter white in the center. I will be attempting to continue these on a weekly basis. On another note, this poster was put up on August 28th and this post was supposed to have followed but a root canal ran into me like a Mac truck and I was forced to take a minute off. That said, the poster is still up as of today, September 2nd, which is slightly unusual for phone kiosk installs. Labels: activism, Art, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public art, street art, white on white
New York City's Struggle to Take Down Illegal Billboards
 This article, written by Elizabeth Dwoskin, will appear in tomorrow's issue of The Village Voice. PublicAdCampaign is mentioned as part of a group of renegade artists and individuals attempting to aid the DOB in its uphill battle with the major outdoor advertising groups in NYC. Enjoy Labels: billboards, DOB, Elizabeth Dwoskin, illegal advertising, illegalbillboards.org, New York, news articles, public ad campaign, public advertising, The Village Voice
Plastic Weave Study
 This is a study I did for a piece I was hoping to be able to put up in the public. After completion I realized there was no way I would be able to install it without getting caught considering it took me nearly an hour just to negotiate it into the phone kiosk frame I had at my studio. It has managed to inspire me to work in only white though and get me excited about the concept of having a piece be a simple white wash during the day and then transform once the night comes and the back light is turned on. I will be working with this concept in the near future so stay tuned for more to come. Labels: Art, phone booth, public ad campaign, public art
Verizon Phone Kiosk Key
 As usual when I run into a Van Wagner employee replacing phone kiosk advertising in the city, I stop and say hello. I usually ask how they like their job, how they feel about public advertising in general and tell them a little about my project. Often they laugh, I laugh and we both go on our way. I used to also ask if I could purchase the only "key" I don't have in my arsenal, which opens the Verizon new style phone kiosk until I got tired of offering hundreds of dollars in cash to employees clearly unwilling to risk their job over a small profit. This morning I came across an employee who was very forthcoming and who has only been on the job for a month. He was kind enough to tell me he usually sells the posters to people on the street but he would be happy to part with his key for a mere $47 (what I had in my pocket). Labels: activism, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public art, random thoughts, street art
Paris-why not?
  I visited Paris in May this year and whenever I travel I watch public advertising pretty closely, though not with the intention of doing any work. Its a flaw and I know it but thats the way it is. Given that, I could not resist the temptation when I realized that mere magnets held the plastic covers over a large portion of street level small billboards in the downtown area. I stole a few posters and grabbed some supplies from a local arts and crafts store and made a series of these on a public ping pong table. Why not? Labels: activism, Art, France, Paris, public ad campaign, public advertising, public art, street art
Dime Novel Phonebooth Fill
 In this phonebooth fill I used pages of cheap books I bought at Strand. I glazed them with bowlers wax and stained a few red before I crumpled them up. Luckily for the test it did rain a day or two later and the pages did not absorb anything. I like the idea that you cant read the content inside the phonebooth yet you are aware that there is content. This is something I feel is reversed with advertising where you read the image but there is no content. Labels: activism, Art, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public advertising, public art, street art
Newspaper Phonebooth fill
 This is a test I did for a project I was thinking of making a habit. I took a whole Sunday edition of the new york times and crumpled up each sheet into a ball. I then took the advertisement, plexi, and lighting equipment from the phonebooth and replaced it with the times. I was planning on doing 52 of these but it rained a few days after I did this and turned into a freaking mess. Labels: activism, Art, New York, phone booth, public ad campaign, public advertising, public art, street art
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