Brandalism takes over Britain’s billboards

Ongoing project (featured on Channel 4′s Random Acts late last year) Brandalism involved various artists from around the globe taking over billboards from around the country and spreading their own anti-brand artworks across them. Clear Channel, JC Decaux, Primesight and other outdoor advertising firms have been subjected to the Brandalism group’s mass take-over of billboards in Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and London.

Strict enforcement of branding rules for the Olympics for commercial interests provoked the project, which deals with issues such as debt, the riots, consumerism, cultural values and body image. Brands on the receiving end of the project include Nike, McDonalds, Locog, JD Sports and Footlocker and artists involved in the project include Banksy collaborator, Paul Insect, Space Hijackers, Hannah Adamaszek, Ron English and Bill Posters.

Robert Graysford, a member of the group, said, “We’ve taken over these billboards because the advertising industry takes no responsibility for the messages they force-feed us every day. They claim to give us choice but we have no choice to ‘opt out’ from these intrusions into our public and personal spaces.

“We’re lab rats for ad execs who exploit our fears and insecurities through consumerism. I’m a human being, not a consumer. So by taking these billboards, we are taking these spaces back. If Sao Paolo in Brazil can ban all outdoor advertising, so can we.”

Below are some of the works that have been made for the project thus far. Catch the latest news about the project here.