Subvertising
What is Subvertising?
Subvertising is the practice of lighting up the streets with spoofs or parodies of corporate and political advertisements. By using witty and cutting satire of companies subvertisers are able to expose racial and climate injustice. We use subvertising to turn the iconography of advertisers on it's head. If images can create a brand, they can also destroy one.
Join the Paint The Streets Telegram and/or ask your actions group to connect you into subvertising spaces.
Check out XR Lambeth's ad-hacking video here.
Working with partner groups
Crews like Zap Games, Special Patrol Facebook Group and Brandalism are currently active alongside Extinction Rebellion.
Note: Brandalism and Special Patrol Group are separate organisations to XR and any reproduction of their work must be credited.
How do I get into a bus top?
There are videos, guides and websites with plenty of info but the main piece of kit people use is a T30 key, high visibility jackets and non-descript worker clothes; it’s best to hide in plain sight and look like they belong when they are putting up the posters.
What artwork should I use?
To keep costs down, groups have been known to remove adverts and hand paint chosen messages on to the back of the adverts. It’s also common practice to edit posters, focusing specifically on companies complicit in the climate crisis.
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London Underground ad-space sized graphics can be found here (along with a guide on how to subvertise on the tube)
For Design Assets you can use to create your own artwork, check out the Paint the Streets Google Drive
Where can I get bus stop ads printed?
To print bus stops sized sheets use DigitalPrinting and select 6 sheet measuring 1,200mm x 1,800mm.
What are the legal implications?
There is generally a view that this kind of action is a lower level in arrestability.
From the Brandalism Subvertising manual:
“some legal advice from Green and Black Cross: The basic rule of thumb is ‘No Comment’. In the worst case scenario, a charge is likely to be that ‘criminal damage’, which holds minor penalties.” Other legal advice that has been provided warns that if caught with a removed advert there could be a charge of theft. However, at present we are unaware of anyone facing prosecution for subvertising.
Resources
- Brandalism's Subvertising Guide- for all things bus stop related
- Inspiration on how to take over billboards
- More instructions on subvertising bus stops & billboards, and a series of case studies.
(Credit: Brandalism)