They did it by ‘hiding in plain sight’ and can teach you how to do it too. All you need is a hi-vis vest.
In May, England looked different. Over two days, across 10 British cities, 365 corporate ad spaces were replaced by handmade artworks created by 40 artists in the world’s first international ‘subvertising’ campaign, co-ordinated by an anonymous collective known as Brandalism. In a public statement on their website, Brandalism explain “It is a rebellion against the visual assault of media giants and advertising moguls who have a stranglehold over messages and meaning in our public spaces, through which they force-feed us with images and messages to keep us insecure, unhappy, and shopping.”
“Subvertising” is newly prevalent in Britain. Scottish artist Robert Montgomery has been plastering Northern billboards with poetry, supported by a successful social media campaign, and ex-KLF frontman and artist Bill Drummond is the subject of an official police probe after painting over a UKIP billboard in Manchester that he considered offensive. Brandalism, though, seek to distinguish themselves by being an organised community movement. Speaking to Planet Ivy, a Brandalism representative using the name Bill Posters explains “It’s about holding spaces in common so that we can respond to our collective, rather than individual long-term needs. We need to regain control of the advertising sector because it’s become a key part of so many other problems.”
That community push has been essential part of Brandalism’s success. Their aims of community empowerment, their founders believe, have been largely successful. Bill Posters describes the take up as extraordinary “The first Brandalism takeover took place in July 2012. Two friends, sick of the visual pollution of their city, spent 5 days reclaiming 36 billboards in five cities around the UK. Overwhelmed by the positive response from people across the country, we decided to train up other people to do the same thing themselves. Two years later, groups across the country are now taking action in their local areas to reclaim public space from the claws of corporate interests. More takeovers are expected in the near future.”
Brandalism remain focused on training new “brandalists” and providing resources for those interested in taking back their own streets. It’s founders point out “All you need are some of the magic cabinet keys and a trusty hi-viz vest to remain hidden in plain sight. So if you don’t like what we’ve put up, check out our guide to opening the cabinets, and replace it with something you prefer. Because after all, they’re your streets.” Famed anonymous street artist Banksy released a statement in support of the Brandalism movement, explaining “Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether or not you see it is yours. It’s yours to take, rearrange and reuse. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.”
Brandalism’s most recent takeover targeted several specific organsations, posting provocative artwork on billboards outside the headquarters of Wonga, Royal Bank of Scotland, Shell, and the Conservative Party, as well as Primark’s flagship store on Oxford Street. These organisations, say Brandalism’s founders, represent a cycle of consumption that is unhealthy. “Body anxiety and the constant pressure to consume is making us work harder and longer but isn’t improving our wellbeing. Our children are growing up as ‘unhappy materialists’ according to a Unicef report in 2011, where working parents have less time to play with their kids so compensate by buying them toys and designer clothes.” There’s an environmental responsibility to consider as well. “Repeated prompts to buy more energy intensive products such as flat screen TVs, new cars and short haul flights make it politically difficult to move away from a high-carbon economy if demand is always propped up by marketing messages. These are complex issues and it’s time to recognise the advertising industry , outdoor and otherwise, has a lot to answer for.”
In a statement to Planet Ivy, the Home Office confirmed that Brandalism’s actions constitute criminal damage and are not a legitimate act of protest. If caught and identified, Brandalism’s founders face up to six months in prison and fines of £5,000 for each prosecuted offence. The Advertising Association disagrees on practical grounds. Ian Barber, director of communications for the association argues that there is moral value in the advertising industry, which has cash value of over £14 billion. He thinks that most people don’t feel advertising is an invasion of space, “We accept that if you don’t much like capitalism, you won’t much like brand advertising but there are plenty of ways to protest and subvert without breaking the law, these days more than ever”. Public advertising, he points out, has a social role too. “The benefits flow back when public authorities sell advertising. That means lower council tax bills, better maintained bus shelters and cheaper public transport. If Brandalism were to ever really take off and make outdoor advertising unviable, how many people would thank the “movement” when those subsidies disappear?”
Brandalism maintain that they provide an important platform for protesting against advertising and that their support is more widespread than their opposition anticipate. “The industry has pissed off so many people that it was relatively easy to build our network. We’d start explaining the justification for the project and people would immediately nod and interrupt saying, ‘Yeah I know. Advertising’s bullshit. What’s the plan?'” Brandalism’s founders think the advertising industry’s workers are on their side too. “Workers from within advertising industry are also contacting us – and that’s where it gets really interesting. Alot of them feel frustrated that their artistic creativity is being channelled into “making people want things they don’t need” as one guy said to us. They’re fed up and they want out. We’re looking to develop those relationships.”
Brandalism has a funny relationship with the advertising industry. When I was conducting the interviews for this article, Brandalism’s founders were desperately curious to see what the Advertising Association thought of them, and vice versa. When Brandalism chose to take on the advertising industry, it appears some lessons rubbed off. “Brandalism is built on a longer tradition of culture jamming and we’re grateful to all those crews who have been taking back space for decades before us, advertising political and counter cultural movements, presenting a public image. We just took that tradition and scaled up.”
All Images: Brandalism