Elements of Paint the Streets

Paint The Symbol

Let's get the Extinction Symbol EVERYWHERE!

Why? The more visible XR is, the better our cause will land with the public. There are many who would like to silence us: we need to be unmissable.

How? Sharpies, stencils and paint; posters, stickers… and boundless imagination. Here are some ideas:

Every Day Symboling

Get yourself a stash of markers, and take them out with you. Something like the Uni Paint PX-20 is good. At a minimum, get black and white.

Opportunity is everywhere, especially if you look out for circles!

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Get hold of stickers! Lamp posts, crossings, adverts – look for spots where there are clean sightlines.

WHERE ARE MORE PEOPLE GOING TO SEE THE SYMBOL? Entrances, exits, main thoroughfares. On the ceiling of the bus. A cash machine.

How about stencilling the symbol? You're in luck. There's a template and guide to making a symbol stencil

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Affinity Symboling

Get yourself a Symbol Affinity Group, a can of spray paint and a ladder!

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Height is good. Try and avoid everyone else’s graff. You’ll be painted over, and not stand out as well.

Plan Ahead. Stake out your ’hood. Where are the great sightlines? Where several roads meet, or where you’ll have the most impact. Upset the visual narrative!

Painting The Symbol is a bit naughty, do be careful.

Obviously if you are going to actually try and turn the London Eye into The World’s Largest Symbol you may end up in significantly more trouble. Check out legal guidance here.

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Flyposting

a grid of assorted XR posters if being pasted onto a bluw wall by two people wearing hi-vis jackets

Planning Your Flyposting Action

Check out this general guidance for how to organise all sorts of Paint the Streets actions, then come back here for specific advice for flyposting.

Organise a Flyposting Team

Get together in an affinity group of 2-5 people. Roles needed are:

Note: Avoid taking (or posting online) photos of anyone actually doing the flyposting as it could be used as evidence in the future. Always obtain permission before taking a photo of someone.

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What Materials do I Need?

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Key Tactics:

What's a Suitable Target?

Remember, you don’t have to flypost; you can give posters away and put them up on school/university noticeboards, in windows of cafes and on flyer tables. People often like being given things and to have a chance to share their thoughts on the climate and ecological emergency- use any available opportunity for outreach.

General Good Targets:

Fly-posting Etiquette

DO target: derelict buildings, areas with existing fly-posting, electrical boxes, lamp posts, and ugly structures, temporary hoardings. Pick areas with high footfall.

DON’T target private property, institutions like schools, hospitals and police stations! Avoid pasting over someone else’s poster unless it’s out of date.

If you still need more guidance, check out this amazing website: everything you need to know to blanket the world in posters.

Stencils & Murals

Stencilling

Left image- a stencil of an eye with the resulting image above. Right image- someone holds a stencil of a bee as they paint it pink with a roller

Paris68redux have created a comprehensive guide on stencil and print making.

Environmentally Friendly Sprays and Paints

A weathered pavement with a white logo on which shows a pair of lungs. Underneath is the text 'Our Air Our City'

Reverse graffiti, or ‘clean graffiti’, involves removing dirt or dust from a dirty surface to create an image or text. XR Bristol have created a ‘How to’ video.

Is it Okay to Chalk Spray, Paint or Flypost Local Businesses?

Rebels are asked to be mindful about where they paint the streets.

Please do not damage private property or small and independent businesses as this can be seen as vandalism and might impact relationships within the community. Try and use materials which cause minimal damage to the environment.

Some actions potentially seen as “vandalism” may have a high risk of arrest if private sector buildings are targeted. It is unclear what police reaction will be to some of these actions, so read the legal advice and take precautions.

An inage of a pavement, with 'Tell' 'The' and 'Truth' stencilled all over it in white, pink, yellow and black spray paint

What About Spraying over Existing Artwork?

As a golden rule don’t not tag over other posters and spray tags as this could cause conflict. Organised fly-posters and graffiti groups can be territorial and could get violent.

Murals

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Large scale murals are a big undertaking, but there are some beautiful examples that have been created over the years. If you're thinking of creating a mural you can find lots of tips and guidance in the XR Guide to Murals.

Subvertising

A bus stop with a fake Shell advert. The advert shows a petrol station on fire with the title 'Burn Now... Pay Later, our new climate policy

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 chat and/or ask your actions group to connect you into subvertising spaces.

Check out XR Lambeth's ad-hacking video.

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 to Get Into a Bus Stop?

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.

Where to Print Bus Stop Ads

To print bus stops sized sheets use DigitalPrinting and select 6 sheet measuring 1,200mm x 1,800mm.

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.”

Resources

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(Credit: Brandalism)

Banner Drops

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You can find lots of details about organising Banner Drops here.