Public Space in the Trump Era

Not exactly about advertising but to the larger point of our shared environments no longer be shared.

VIA: Architect Magazine

On the last Saturday in January, news began to spread of President Donald Trump’s executive order (issued the day before) that temporarily suspended entry into the United States by passport holders from seven countries—Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Iraq, and Yemen— and permanently shut down admission of Syrian refugees. By late morning, a plethora of non-travelers were racing to the nation’s airports: elected officials bent on rescuing some of those trapped in immigration limbo by the order, lawyers who’d volunteered to help detainees and their families, hordes of protesters, and, inevitably, reporters. Among the first journalists to arrive at John F. Kennedy’s Terminal 4, the airport’s main international hub and a prime entry point into this country, was Charlotte Alter from Time. More [HERE]

Global Liberal Media Please Gets Out During The Day

Global Liberal Media Please is a campaign run by Kyle Magee out of Australia. The campaign demands an advertising free public space with the understanding that a true democracy can only exist with a democratic media system from which the citizens of that democracy might make informed and unbiased decisions. In a world where our media systems (and in this case specifically that media system which monopolizes public space) are run multinational corporations that make money from commercial advertising, democratic curation of those spaces doesn't seem likely. This leaves the promise of democracy far out of reach as our decisions about how to best serve our collective interests are made using the information we get from a commercially driven media system.

It is with this in mind that Kyle protests public advertising networks by "vandalizing" them in broad daylight. This is done with the intention of getting arrested, allowing him to take his grievances directly to the courts. This may sound a bit mental, and once you have read some of Kyle's musings on his adventures, it seems like he is well aware. And yet Kyle seems to be soldiering on, remaining determined to air his grievances. Why would someone continue to get arrested repeatedly for the same crime? For Kyle, this is in fact a cause worth getting arrested for, and I would tend to agree. the depth of his criticism is real, and the effects of using our public messaging systems to support private commercial interests are also real.

What Kyle's outrageous action demands, is that we treat this issue with the level of importance it deserves. Standing up for the destruction of our environment due to over consumption is an issue worth our full attention, as is the degradation of our collective social behavior as advertising implores us to focus on our personal needs rather than those of the community. These are real issues that advertising plays a huge role in perpetuating, being the fuel which keeps the engine of consumption always humming, and the repetitive drum that focuses us inward. To adress these massive issues we must confront our relationship to our vast media systems in a real and meaningful way. Kyle's work begs us to realize this fact and take the first steps by banning outdoor advertising in our most public of spaces.

Take the time to go through Kyle's documentation of his ongoing efforts [HERE]

Byzantium Security - For the 1% That Matters

Yesterday I posted about some fake ads that offended the NYPD and caused a pretty serious reaction. Today you get an image of a real ad that I wish was fake. This upcoming television show clearly took advantage of the fact that the OWS anniversary would result in a heavy police presence in downtown NY and an amazing photo opportunity that is better than any ad they could have imagined.

While the ad's content is obviously not for a real company but for a fictional company that exists in the fictional world of this upcoming television show, it is still a pretty serious affront to the real grievances that the OWS movement is trying to make plain. In many ways I see it as very similar to the fake ad that I posted about yesterday although this one is ok because it was paid for by a commercial enterprise. Something seems incredibly wrong with that. You may not agree with the OWS movement but it is a very real political endeavor and to allow a company access to public space to make light of their issue for commercial gain, while subsequently policing the movements "fake" political messages seems to reiterate the fact that at least in public space it really is the 1% that matters.

Big Bloomberg Is Watching: NYPD Fingerprints Fake NYPD Ads

I'm out of town on art adventures but was just recently made aware of this ad takeover turned NYPD investigation surrounding the OWS anniversary. All I can say is wow! I truly feel that these messaging boards disguised as public payphones, which are most often used for commercial messages that contribute to detrimental social behavior and rampant consumption should be available for public use. That said, criticizing the NYPD is clearly an aggressive move which has garnered an equally aggressive response, fingerprinting, and what will surely result in some sort of arrest. I hope those involved wore gloves, and if not that they have a well thought out argument for why their use of that space should be justifiable behavior. God speed. 

Via: Gothamist

 

The NYPD is taking those fake NYPD propaganda posters from yesterday's OWS action really seriously. To the point they are fingerprinting the darn things, typos and all. After all those posters were put on display in public spaces that the New York City government has sold the exclusive rights for private companies to use—not protesters! How else might New Yorkers find out that the American Broadcasting Company has a television program this fall that features a big, red circular staircase?

The fingerprinting response, which was spotted by a tipster this afternoon, seems a little different from how NYPD spokesman Paul Browne seemed to feel about the posters—which carried messages like "DRONES, protection when you least expect it"—when asked about them earlier. "[It] appears to be NYPD critics subjecting us to a droll attack," he told reporters.

But thank goodness the cops are taking this crime seriously. Who knows, maybe they can repeat that free subway fiasco and falsely connect the posters to some cold case murders before the year is out!