Postering Public Space: Can DIY Poster Pirates Reclaim Your Downtown?
by Emily Pohl-Weary I love posters, billboards, murals and graffiti. You can learn a lot about a city from the art plastered on its walls, hydro poles and construction hoarding. They’re speedy introductions to the political issues and cultural activities that litter the urban core, and a great way to find out about concerts, movie nights, political actions, forums and discussions. Walking around, I always stop to look at crusty wads of paper peeling off telephone poles. I deliberately take back alleys rather than main streets, and stop to examine hastily scrawled statements like “The revolution will not be sponsored by Murad” scrawled above an exploding television set. If you’re ever exploring a new city and want to know about a neighborhood, use the street art as your barometer. It’s free. It reveals a great deal about contentious socio-political conflicts. And there’s nothing coming between you and the artist – no curator or editor to mediate with the aim of maximizing market and/or
