mobilization
Webpage
Description of campaign/project
We have built a virtual city of Plakatopolis that aims to reflect the current state of outdoor advertising in Ljubljana. We are creating a space where a discussion about the state in which Ljubljana has found itself in regard to outdoor advertising, can take place.
We use social media to invite people to an open discussion about the subject. All opininos, suggestions and toughts are welcome. Participatory communication and cooperation in shaping the agenda are at the core of Plakatopolis.
The benefit, if we suceed, is going to be a less visually and otherwise polluted environment in Ljubljana and hopefully Slovenia. A public space void of commercial, one-way messages that serve no other purpose than the stimulation of consumption. We hope Plakatopolis can also show that participation and active involvement can move boundaries of thinking, create social connections and help people reevaluate what they have taken for granted, all of which has emancipatory potential and brings a sense of empowerment.
We are in the process of learning and evaluating our approach. We are exploring the ways in which we can maximise interest and lead a fruitfull and constructive debate. We are also getting in touch with various communities of people that invest their time and resources in whatever they stand for, which is an enriching experience.
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Other comments
Aaron Gach
Entry details
Title
Plakatopolis
Headline
Javni prostor je naš! / Public space is ours!
Concept author(s)
Kaja Kisilak, Janez Plešnar, Goran Ivašić
Concept author year(s) of birth
1986, 1985, 1984
Concept author(s) contribution
At the moment we do not divide our work strictly, but rather work together on all the things that need to be done.
Country
Slovenia
Designer(s)
Kaja Kisilak, Janez Plešnar, Goran Ivašić
Designer(s) year(s) of birth
1986, 1985, 1984
Designer(s) contribution
All descisions have been made unanimously.
Country
Slovenia
Copy author(s)
Kaja Kisilak, Janez Plešnar, Goran Ivašić
Copy author(s) year(s) of birth
1986, 1985, 1984
Copy author(s) contribution
All descisions have been made unanimously.
Country
Slovenia
Competition category
mobilization
Competition field
nonacademic
Competition subfield
activist
Subfield description
Activism against outdoor advertising that we practice form our homes, online and whenever we find time. For now.
I respect the aims of this project as set out by the authoring collective: to create "a space where a discussion [can occur] about the state in which Ljubljana has found itself in regard to outdoor advertising." With that said, these aims alone are not what I most appreciate about this work. Rather, I find it a rather remarkable gesture - in and of itself - to attempt to map out all of the outdoor advertisements in a city. This Sisyphean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus) task accomplishes several interesting cultural goals: 1) the mapping aspect makes visible in a god's eye perspective the very issue being addressed; 2) the accrued imagery produces a unique chronological archive documenting the urban landscape at this particular moment in time; 3) the use of social media to help produce this archive is an interesting, project-specific use of Facebook; 4) the act of documenting these sites requires a psychogeographical approach to navigating the city that sets up a dramatic, yet anti-climactic, contest between the individual and the so-called "powers-that-be"; and, 5) hopefully, the main goal of producing actionable dialog regarding outdoor advertising can and will occur.
Of this last point, I am the most skeptical. The danger of relying too heavily on social media for a project like this is that the project will scrape by on the periphery of people's attention - and, to a large degree, people who are already sympathetic to the project's aims to begin with. Could there be an analog, public, expression of this project as well? Guided tours? Advertizing safaris? Townhall meetings? Or, perhaps something akin to Center for Land Use Interpretation? Beyond being merely discursive, is it possible to push this project in a direction which can lead to effective social action?
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