Official Re+Public 1.0 Launch

Re+Public: Moto Wall Digital Mural from The Heavy Projects on Vimeo.
To many, the PublicAdCampaign project is about the removal of outdoor advertising from our shared visual environment in an effort to "clean up" our public spaces from the mental pollution caused by outdoor advertising. While I would not argue that is one of the most important aspects of this project, it does not take into account our belief that "cleaning up" does not mean a visual environment devoid of life. To the contrary we see the removal of outdoor advertising as a vital step in the creation of a public environment that promotes public media and visual interaction. 
Some years ago, I met a guy over at the Heavy Projects and we bagan to explore the potential of AR to not only create a more democratic public media space, but also to leap over that vital step of removing outdoor ads by simply replacing them in the new digital public environment. For PublicAdCampaign this new technology gave us visions of an interactive and publicly curated media space where your ability to purchase outdoor space did not determine your ability to produce media there. It is an exciting idea that we simply had to explore. 
Over the past few years we have been working with this new medium and could not be more excited to finally launch our free Re+Public mobile app. Re+Public harnesses this new technology to glimpse at a new digital future for public space and there is much work to be done exploring these concepts further as people become more comfortable with AR and wearables become a part of our everyday lives. Until then, please download the Re+Public app, visit the site, and Like us on facebook so we can continue to explore this incredibly rich new artistic domain. 

One Off's in Saint Louis After MOMO Mural for Re+Public

I was recently in Saint Louis helping to produce MOMO's upcoming augmented mural for Re+Public. Most of my time was spent making a timelapse, shooting video, running to Home Depot, on the lift with MOMO painting, and generally producing the project. That said, I dont go somewhere for 10 days without figuring out how to break into at least one type of outdoor commercial media venue. Lamar outdoor rules the bus shelter scene in Saint Louis and the key to open them is only a slightly altered hex key. With only a few minutes to paint some bus shelter ads I had found a few days earlier, these two images are the result. I thank MOMO for inspiration on the above image and I definitely had Posterboy on my mind for the second. Enjoy!

An Artist’s Alfresco John Hancock

I have known about this MOMO piece for a while now due to my healthy obsession with his work. While it is not advertising related it is a prime example of how street art and art made in public spaces can quietly become a part of the everyday experience of the public citizen and therefore enrich that experience and ones connection to the environment. Without asking for anything, this piece allows the viewer to reflect on the creation and therefore the creator. The multiple interpretations show the ambiguity with which the work is perceived and therefore its incredibly public nature. It would seem it is only there to be contemplated, the polar opposite of advertising whose interested is to avoid multiple meanings in an effort to secure a single branded thought. How then do we criminalize MOMO's artwork and promote the sale of our public spaces to outdoor advertising industries?

VIA The New York Times

The thin orange line of paint traces a winding path though downtown Manhattan neighborhoods like SoHo, Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side. Uneven and wandering, the stripe runs up major avenues and across narrow streets, sometimes prominent, at other times so faint and worn that it is barely visible. [More Here]

MOMO travelouge

Seems like the only time I ever post on pure street art, it is MOMO's work I am praising. That's because I absolutely adore it. In this video there are some works over empty billboards similar to those Sam3 did in spain a while back so I guess that keeps things related.

Travelouge from MOMO on Vimeo.

NYSAT-The Municipal Landscape Control Committee

MOMO-courtesy of the artist

Sorry for the lack of posting about the April 25th NYSAT event, I am desperately trying to gather all of the documentation and not release anything before a good portion of the picture is painted.

In an attempt to document all aspects of this project, a map has been created which shows all of the illegal signage operated by NPA that I could find in a four day period below 30th street and above canal street in NYC. I will be adding images of both the whitewashed spaces and the artwork, as a counterpoint to the images I have already put on the map showing the spaces with the usual ad content. This will be made available in the next day or two and will be open to the artists to edit themselves. I hope they will take the opportunity to add anecdotes, stories, links and other relevant information as a way of building a participant generated document of this public event.

Until then, please search for the project under NYSAT or The Municipal Landscape Control Committee. People have also been listing it under street art takeover, public ad takeover etc.

Thanks again to all the participants.

MOMO Maker Series

I don't usually post random street work that doesn't directly relate to advertising in some way. This exception comes because of my long appreciation for MOMO's work as well as the quality this piece has taken on over its long life on the street. Plus it's still the weekend.

MOMO ad rework

Went to the Eyebeam information session today on how to identify and then go through the proper channels to remove illegal billboards. Aside from that being absolutely amazing and incredibly informative, I finally met a street artist I've wanted to meet for some time, MOMO. Here is an unusual piece of his but one which is in keeping with this sites interests. Visit his website for more of his goodies, I promise its well worth your time.

www.momoshowpalace.com