Bones Not Bombs by Pat Perry. Photo by Luna Park.
We prefer dogs. And what's better than a regular dog? A punk dog in an ad takeover! Actually, real regular dogs are still pretty awesome. But a drawing of a dog is definitely better than an advertisement. The point being... Pat Perry really made us smile this week with Bones Not Bombs.
"Per my participation in the project; there's a couple simple things going on here. The first is that I'm enthusiastically committed to see the slow dismantlement of public advertising. Public ads interrupt our aspirations of what we could be, and should be reaching towards, collectively. If that sounds melodramatic, I'd argue that's only because advertising is so ubiquitous on our roads, sidewalks, buildings, and infrastructure that we all-too-easily forget how it hoses us down constantly. And like lead on our walls and in our water, we could eradicate its existence if there was a true feeling throughout our culture that the eradication of public ads was not only desirable, but pivotal. I truly believe it is." - Pat Perry
We often get asked why we bother putting up these posters every week, when we know they'll quickly be removed and replaced with new ads. In thinking about his installation, Pat answered that critique really well:
"Small, grassroots pushes and nonviolent, acts of disobedience are the matchbooks of societal change. They have been for centuries, and they shake power structures to the bones with anxiety. My grandma always said to never underestimate the impact you have in your own little corner of the world. In some little corner of New York, an ad was taken down and now there's a drawing in its place. Look at Buenos Aires' recently enacted policies on visual pollution. It's happening slowly, but we are clawing towards the light." - Pat Perry
We may only install one poster each week, but we do something to improve that little corner for a few days, and we also document it and share that image of another reality that we believe is both possible and necessary. A few ad takeovers alone won't dismantle the out-of-home advertising industry, but it can help us move towards the light.
Bones Not Bombs by Pat Perry. Photo by Luna Park.
PS, if you find this poster out in the wild, A. Try to Get a dog in your photo, and B. If you see it at night, it's backlit, which also makes for great photos.
PPS, if you want to do more to move towards a bright future, or maybe you just want to resist Trump, check out the Center For Artistic Activism's recent webinar series on "How To Win." It's an inspiring series of videos on creative activism, and we promise you'll learn something (probably a lot of things) in every webinar.