Hrag Vartanian has a really interesting interview on Hyperallergic with Jordan Seiler of Public Ad Campaign, the organizer of the New York Street Advertising Takeover (NYSAT) (as mentioned previously). Here’s a snippet:
Hrag Vartanian: Is the NYSAT campaign an art or activist project or both?
Jordan Seiler: Activism informed by art and the artistic process. Sometimes it takes a few hundred artists to move the law forward
HV: If it’s art, what would you consider the aesthetics of the project?
JS: Aesthetics? I don’t think this is visual as much as about mental clarity.
HV: Were you surprised that the advertisers were able to react as fast as they did this time to the street project? Most of the ads didn’t last through the day, did they?
JS: No. Many location saw ads go up a mere hour afterward.
HV: That’s incredible. How are these illegal ad companies able to avoid arrests for their illegal activities, while activists who are covering the same space with non-corporate ads aren’t?
JS: I am not sure. But I did call the cops while they were posting ads on Sunday and they did not listen to my complaint about them not having permits. I think it speaks to the fact that the city is ready to defend the private over the public.
Read the rest on Hyperallergic