Subvertising
Subvertising - short for ´subverting advertising´ - is a visual and performative form of street art that subverts the power and meaning of corporate ads. It is a form of civil disobedience and creative resistance that questions who has the power and authority to communicate messages and create meaning in public space.
This guide to subvertising is reproduced with permission from the book ‘The Street Art Manual: A Guide To Hacking The City’ by Bill Posters, Laurence King Publishing, 2020. The Street Art Manual includes chapters such as ‘A Guide to Hacking Urban Space’, ‘Trespass/Access/Infiltrate’, ‘Operating in Public Space’ and tactical sections that cover the history, processes and practical advice for 11 forms of art in public space (Graffiti, Stencilling, Paste-ups, Subvertising, Large-scale Murals, Yarn Bombing, Guerrilla Theatre, Banner Drop, Guerrilla Projection, Projectiles, Aerial Art).
The Street Art Manual by Bill Posters is available here
What you need:
Key
Artwork
Hi-vis vest (optional)
Key(s)
If you are planning on installing your artwork inside the six-sheet ad spaces that are commonly found at bus stops or on city streets, you will need a key. Luckily, subvertisers around the world have done the hard work so you don’t have to, and you can find the right keys for ad spaces around the world easily online or in local shops.
• Local tool shops, bike shops and car super stores stock the most widespread keys.
• The most common types of key are illustrated in this section.
Artwork
Bus stop ad spaces have posters installed that are called ‘six sheets’. Globally, the dimensions of the posters are 1200mm x 1800mm. Some subvertisers take posters from the ad spaces, subvert them and reinstall them at no cost.
Others create digital prints at commercial printers for around £15/€16/US$17. Some street artists use stencils or spray graffiti straight onto the ad cabinets, so there are lots of methods to experiment with. Try them all and see what works for you.
• If digitally printing your artworks, use a commercial printer that does ‘six sheet’ printing. They are easy to find online in many countries around the world.
• Convince the print room manager at college to print you some for free.
• Bypass the need to print anything and get busy with a can of spray paint.
1.
Do your research and check which key is needed for the bus stop space you want to hack. Here are the three most commonly used keys in the UK, Europe, the US and Australia.
2.
This illustration shows the measurements for a typical UK ‘six-sheet’ bus stop ad.
Roll your artwork up from the bottom and secure the roll with low-adhesive tape. This makes it easier to carry and install.
3.
Insert your key into the lock of the ad space you want to open. Most locks are in the bottom right corner of the frame or directly underneath in the middle. Turn the key 90 degrees and you will feel the bottom of the frame ‘pop’ open.
4.
Carefully lift the window of the frame ensuring no one is behind you. The frame opens on pistons, so hold it steady as you open it.
5.
Roll up and remove the offending advert that is already there. You may need to pull it gently to release it from the clasp at the top of the frame.
6.
Remove the tape that secures the roll, but keep it rolled up until you’ve fixed the top edge of the poster with the clasp. The clasps used in six-sheet ad spaces differ in various countries, so always bring some tape as a back-up to make it easier to stick your artwork in place.
7.
Once your artwork is in place, roll it down flat against the cabinet and gently close the frame from the bottom. Remember to keep hold of the bottom edge of your artwork, to ensure that it displays correctly when the case is closed. Take some photos and share them with your friends.
Things to think about
RULES
There are none. Some of the best subvertising is done with nothing more than a clever twist to a corporate slogan or the removal of letters in a sentence. Others are full-scale digital prints. The main thing is creativity: it all starts with an idea. If all else fails, you can stick a picture of your neighbour’s cat in the space. People love cats loads more than adverts.
TYPES OF SPACE
There are four common advertising spaces found all over the world. The most common billboard (48 sheet) is 6.1 x 3.05m in size. The street poster (six sheet) is 1.2 x 1.8m in size. Subway ads and digital screens vary in size.
CREATING YOUR ARTWORK
This will depend on how big your artwork is and how many subverts you want to make. Some subvertisers open street ad spaces and remove posters from inside, creating art on the reverse of the poster for free. Stencils, screen-printing and any kind of paint and markers also work well. Digital printing for six-sheet ads (in the region of £12/€14/US$15 for colour) and billboards (£40/€45/US$50) is also reasonably cheap. Black-and-white prints are much cheaper. You can also print full billboard posters in tiles or long strips if you can’t access a printer wide enough to print the normal sections. Keep it simple and easy and you will be more successful. Don’t overcomplicate things.
CHOOSING A SPACE
Most advertising spaces are installed in places that have high footfall. Perfect! Now lots of people in the city will see your artworks – the hard work has been done for you. They are also illuminated, so they look great at night. Site-specific artworks, such as those related to tourist areas, corporate HQs or landmark buildings, are also really good to think about.
TEST YOUR KEYS
Some of the advertising spaces that need a key have rubbish locks that are old. Don’t lose your shit in a mad panic, just move on to another one and make sure it opens before you start your installation.
MAKING YOUR UNIFORM
A hi-vis uniform is recommended, but not strictly necessary. It does, however, give you the cover and confidence of looking legitimate. Yellow or orange hi-vis are the most common ones used by outdoor-advertising companies. You can also print a logo on the back, if you want. See the Brandalism website to download the company logos, but remember to keep things simple.
TIME OF DAY
Save yourself loads of stress and hassle from the cops and the public and go out in the daytime. Don’t go out (like I started doing) at 2 in the morning, looking shady, trying to figure shit out. At first, you will feel exposed and you will be nervous but, after the first opening of a cabinet or the first installation of an artwork, alongside a rush of adrenaline, you will realize that nobody gives a shit as long as you look like you are supposed to be there.
WHEN TO INSTALL YOUR ARTWORK
Advertisements in public space are changed every two or four weeks depending on how long a company has bought the advertising space for. It just so happens that the major outdoor-advertising companies have calendars on their websites that show the changeover dates for adverts. Handy. Search for ‘cycle calendar’ or ‘posting calendar’ on the website of the corporation that owns the ad space you want to hack.
ATTITUDE
Now, when you do your first installation, your heart will be working harder than Donald Trump’s lawyers. While this is unnerving, it is perfectly natural and you will get a lot out of the experience as a result of stretching your comfort zone. Brains do their best learning when you are pushed to the edge of your panic zone, so own it and enjoy.
Don’t forget that employees of outdoor-advertising companies work long hours for not enough money, and they have to do the same 30-second process hundreds of times a day. As you can imagine, this would become boring – so act like it. Look relaxed or maybe a bit bored or a bit pissed off. Maybe you are working overtime again, on a Sunday! And your partner is stressing at you for not being at that all-you-can-drink brunch. Or whatever. Basically, act like this is your job. You do it day in, day out, thousands of times. Be confident in the process. Plus, a little bit of role play always spices things up.
WEATHER
Posters are quite big, and the wind is your natural-born enemy. Try to keep your artwork rolled from the bottom up and paste/install in a controlled way. If the wind catches the print, it will damage it and make you look like an amateur and a criminal
