New Work By LUDO in Paris

Ludo just sent over this fantastic ad takeover from Paris. It's called "Enjoy the Violence" and I hope you like it as much as I do.

A Public Library Made From a Phone Booth

While it's not anti ad work, it does take advantage of my favorite NYC venue.

VIA Hyperallergic.com

LOS ANGELES — His name is almost too perfect for an artist-architect engaging with urban space. John Locke, not to be confused with the late Father of Liberalism, has been marrying two soon-to-be archaic devices in a charming way. Traveling around Manhattan, he’s been carrying objects called books and placing them in spaces known as phone booths. It’s a charming result. More [HERE]

Mobstr - New Work - Advertising, Vol. 1

Mobstr sent over these fantastic images a few days ago. The pulled back version is needed to show context and the always sharp witted Mobstr at his best.

OX - 1st New Work For 2012

OX sent me this image of his first takeover for 2012. Apparently it's been freezing in Europe which is funny cause its so freaking warm over here. Remember, if advertising increasing rates of consumption and consumption is one of the issues that propels climate change then advertising itself might be the problem and not the product.

Mad Men Season 5 Comes With A Sense of Humor

I will admit that I watch TV, commercials and all. Sadly my inability to admit this fact to myself starting with the invention of the DVR, Netflix, or even say the internet, has resulted in the viewing of whatever has been coming through the rabbit ears at the moment I want to turn off my brain. Oh how I wish I could take back some of those hours. I recently described an older friend of mine to a younger colleague as "the spitting image of Peggy's grandfather on King of the Hill." Yes thats right, I know what peggy's grandfather on King of the Hill Looks like, and its my friend Floyd.

That said I was happy to start using my friends Netflix account and engaging slightly more worthwhile material without the commercial interruptions. I began this excursion appropriately with Mad Men, which I must say is utterly fantastic. Recent advertisements for season 5 have flooded the NYC subway system and with their stark graphic design have begged for commentary and alteration. The image above is my favorite so far but ill keep my eyes out for something that trumps the sheer frivolity of playful whales defying Don Drapper's imminent fall from grace.

BC “HEAVY” BIERMANN: TAKING BACK PUBLIC SPACES WITH AR

BC Bierman and I are currently working on an Augmented Reality project which will attempt to provide a public media option to those without the means to purchase public space or those who are not fortunate enough to own a property whose facade faces our shared public environment. In doing so we hope to raise questions about who controls public space and what access will look like in the Augmented future. Ill post more on this as we begin to develop our platform and move on to curating the project. Until then here is an interesting write up on BC's work with AR and his thoughts on its use for the public good. Enjoy!

"I’m one of several people who write about how augmented reality will change the world some day. BC “Heavy” Biermann is one of the few people currently helping to make that happen. In addition to working as an assistant professor of media, BC is the founder and developer behind The Heavy Projects, the brains behind several innovative AR projects. In the course of preparing my upcoming talk on “Augmented Reality and Social Change,” I had the great fortune of talking to BC and learning more about his vision of our augmented future."

More [HERE]

Robert Montgomery - Billboards and Recycled Sunlight

A good friend of mine Jason Eppink reminded me of Robert Montgomery's work this morning. I quickly realized I've never really posted on his billboard takeovers before, partially because I don't really know all that much about them. The image below is the most poignant for me but his other ruminations strike similar cords of melancholy and unobtainable commercial happiness.

Revisiting his work, I was struck by aspects that relate to some reading I have been privy to lately. In a recently published paper called "Think of Me As Evil" the authors bring up an interesting point about commerical medias ability to normalize modes of commercial consumption, or otherwise unhealthy behaviors. In relation to tobacco advertising, Rory Sutherland is qouted as saying…

While I can accept that the purpose of tobacco advertising was not
to encourage people to smoke, I find it astounding that anyone could barefacedly suggest that cigarette posters seen everywhere did not serve to normalise the habit.”

What she is suggesting is that by surrounding ourselves with certain forms of imagery and behavior, we normalize those activities and by doing so promote their continued existence and perseverance in our shared cultural behavior. In relation to smoking the detriments are obvious, but extended to other consumptive behaviors we can see how commercial media promotes excessive and egocentric actions. Those messages, so pervasive in all forms of media, also having access to public venues like billboards and sidewalk media infiltrate our society without an opportunity for escape. Robert Montgomery's work as a predominant form of imagery in public space would create an entirely different public persona.

It would be interesting to imagine a commercial media force intent on creating all of the false desires necessary to propagate an ongoing conspicuous consumption machine, whose messages are counteracted by an alternate view presented in the public sphere. What if all of the magazine, television, internet, and alternative media ads were counteracted by a ubiquitous form of messaging that imitated Robert Montgomey's view point in public space? Your private ingestion would send one signal while your public consumption would send another entirely. How different would our society look if the media which we surrounded ourselves with in public promoted a public good, and one that denies the egocentric expectations of the commercial capitalist machine?

More from the artist [HERE]

Converse Mexico Destroys M-City Community Mural

It appears that Converse Mexico has brought itself some negative attention by buffing an M-City community mural. Below is an open letter to the company giving them the details of their misconduct. If only this wasn't such a regular occurrence.

Dear Converse Mexico, my name is Gonzalo Alvarez and I have a cultural promotion project called MAMUTT ARTE, which focuses mainly on urban art. On Monday January 30, 2012, I stopped by the Colonia 7 de Noviembre a neighborhood, located in the Gustavo A. Madero district, in Mexico City, and noticed something that caught my attention. In that place (which lies largely on the Circuito Interior Avenue) is the community center of Cauce Ciudadano a project that is principally engaged in work with young gang members and youth at risk, who live in areas with high rates of violence. Cauce is a project certified by Ashoka and the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City, with more than 3500 success stories in just 11 years.

Download the Entire PDF [HERE]