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Art on billboard space: Subversive intervention in the city of Los Angeles
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Art on billboard space: Subversive intervention in the city of Los Angeles

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Content ART
ON
BILLBOARD
SPACE:
 SUBVERSIVE
INTERVENTION
IN
THE
CITY
OF
LOS
ANGELES





 
 
 by
 
 Aurea
Adao
 
 
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A
Thesis
Presented
to
the

 FACULTY
OF
THE
USC
ROSKI
SCHOOL
OF
FINE
ARTS
 UNIVERSITY
OF
SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
 In
Partial
Fulfillment
of
the
 Requirements
for
the
Dual
Degree
 MASTER
OF
PUBLIC
ART
STUDIES/MASTER
OF
PLANNING
 
 May
2011
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Copyright
2011
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Aurea
Adao

 
 ii
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 My
graduate
studies
at
the
University
of
Southern
California’s
Gayle
Garner
Roski
 School
of
Fine
Arts
were
partially
supported
by
the
George
and
Marion
Blumenthal
 Research
Scholarship.

My
experiences
at
Metro
(Los
Angeles
County
Metropolitan
 Transportation
Authority)
and
the
Community
Redevelopment
Agency
of
Los
 Angeles’
art
programs
have
proven
invaluable
in
my
professional
development
and
 have
greatly
influenced
my
continued
interest
in
art
and
the
public
sphere.

 Pursuing
a
dual
degree
at
the
School
of
Policy,
Planning,
and
Development
has
 more
forwardly
inspired
me
to
pursue
this
thesis
topic.

I
am
grateful
to
the
Master
 of
Public
Art
Studies
Program
and
the
support
of
the
faculty
and
staff.

 Particularly,
I
would
like
to
acknowledge
my
profound
gratitude
to
Rhea
Anastas
 for
her
guidance
in
helping
me
to
articulate
my
voice
as
a
writer
and
Elizabeth
 Lovins
for
her
tremendous
assistance
with
this
process.
I
also
want
to
express
my
 humble
thanks
to
Kimberli
Meyer
at
the
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture
for
 her
time
and
personal
insights
regarding
this
exhibition
and
in
general,
art
in
Los
 Angeles.

I
am
also
thankful
for
Anthony
Carfello’s
assistance
in
allowing
me
to
 retrieve
the
two
images
for
this
document.
 
 I
especially
want
to
express
my
deepest
appreciation
and
gratitude
to
Gloria
Sutton
 for
all
of
her
incredible
patience
and
unfaltering
guidance
throughout
this
process.

 I’m
sure
I
will
be
forever
changed
with
how
I
write,
think,
and
re‐write
about
art.

I
 
 iii
 also
want
to
thank
Susan
Gray
at
the
Community
Redevelopment
Agency
of
Los
 Angeles
for
her
commitment
to
my
work
and
for
her
encouraging
mentorship,
 academically
and
professionally.

 
 I
want
to
thank
my
parents
and
my
brother
Jimmy
for
all
of
their
love
and
support
 and
for
keeping
me
grounded
at
all
times.

I
also
want
to
thank
Jane
Dam,
Laarni
 Abenoja,
Jen
Choi,
Ruby
Sandher,
Lauren
Davis,
and
Megan
De
Armond
for
being
 my
rock
and
safe
place.

I
am
grateful
for
their
strong
support
and
for
helping
me
 to
get
through
the
intensity
of
this
year.

The
biggest
thank
you
goes
to
Sean
 Davies
for
his
amazing
presence
throughout
this
entire
experience
and
for
his
 incredible
ability
to
take
care
of
anything
and
everything
so
important
to
me.

 In
completing
this
final
leg
of
my
experience
at
USC,
I
would
like
to
dedicate
this
 work
to
my
good
friend
Tushar
Dutta.

His
friendship
inspires
me
to
be
a
better
 person
daily
and
I
could
not
have
reached
this
place
of
sanity
or
finished
anything
 at
school
without
him.
 
 
 iv
 TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
 Acknowledgments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ii
 List
of
Figures
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 v
 Abstract
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 vi
 Introduction.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1
 ‐
The
Practice
of
Visual
Representation
in
Urban
Planning
 
 
 7

 ‐
Barbara
Kruger
&
Felix
Gonzales‐Torres

 
 
 
 
 18
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Chapter
1.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Critical
examination
of
the
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture’s

 
 
 exhibition
of
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
in
Stead
(2010)
 ‐
The
Exhibition
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21
 ‐
Ken
Gonzales‐Day’s
Untitled
I
Billboard

 
 
 
 
 25
 ‐
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez’s
collage
Billboard
 
 
 
 
 30
 
 Chapter
2.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Historical
Advertising
Campaigns
and
Identity
Construction

 
 
 
 ‐
The
Function
of
Commercial
Advertisements
 
 
 
 
 36
 ‐
Historic
Advertising
Strategies
also
Deployed
by
Artists
 
 
 39
 ‐
Construction
of
City
Identity
 
 
 
 
 
 
 41
 
 Chapter
3.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Art
instead?
Or
as
Subversive
Intervention?

 ‐
Manuel
Castells:
the
Network
Society
and
the
Space
of
Flows

 
 48
 ‐
The
Bridge


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 50
 
 Conclusion.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 53
 
 Bibliography

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 57
 
 
 
 
 v
 LIST
OF
FIGURES
 
 
 Figure
1.

 Untitled
I
(After
Antico
[Pier
Jacopo
Alari‐Bonacosi],

 
 26
 
 
 Bust
of
a
Young
Man,
1520,
and
Francis
Harwood,

 
 
 Bust
of
a
Man,
1758)

(2010)
bo
Ken
Gonzales‐Day
(b.
1964).
 
 
 Photographed
by
Gerard
Smulevich.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Figure
2.

 Untitled
(2010)
by
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez
(b.1957).
 
 31
 
 
 Photographed
by
Gerard
Smulevich.
 
 
 vi
 ABSTRACT
 The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture’s
2010
exhibition,
How
Many
Billboards?:
 Art
in
Stead
embodies
how
contemporary
art
practices
have
proliferated
in
the
 public
realm
because
of
the
influence
of
conceptual
art
practices
of
the
1960’s.

As
 a
critical
foundation
for
analyzing
visual
representation
in
the
fields
of
urban
 planning
and
marketing,
the
subversive
art
exhibition
on
standard
outdoor
 billboards
in
Los
Angeles
transformed
its
commercial
function
in
the
public
realm
 into
an
experimental
platform
for
art.

 
 Ken
Gonzales‐Day
and
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez’s
work
both
establish
how
the
use
 of
photography
and
advertising
strategies
can
be
creatively
deployed
to
present
art
 instead
of
advertisements.

In
examining
how
billboards
have
played
a
significant
 role
in
shaping
the
image
of
Los
Angeles,
Manuel
Castells’
concept
of
a
physical
 bridge
is
applied
in
addressing
the
imperative
to
link
local
experience
with
the
 image
of
the
city.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 1
 Introduction.
 
 Because
the
new
processes
of
domination
to
which
people
react
are
embedded
in
information
flows,
 the
building
of
autonomy
has
to
rely
on
reverse
information
flows. 1 
 ‐Manuel
Castells
(b.1942)
 
 
 The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture’s
billboard
exhibition,
How
Many
 Billboards?:
Art
in
Stead
embodies
the
strength
of
conceptual
art
practices
 (introduced
primarily
in
the
1960’s)
and
illustrates
how
artists’
critical
engagement
 with
language,
publicity
and
media
continue
to
resonate
within
contemporary
 visual
art
practices.

Set
in
Los
Angeles,
this
billboard
exhibition
is
particularly
 poignant
in
a
city
where
billboards
excessively
line
the
urban
landscape.

In
 discussing
her
frustration
with
the
inescapable
presence
of
visual
outdoor
 advertisements
that
confront
commuters
throughout
the
city,
the
Executive
 Director
of
the
MAK
Center,
Kimberli
Meyer,
simply
points
out,
“I
can’t
shut
my
 eyes
and
drive.” 2 

Thus,
the
artists
featured
in
the
exhibition
were
selected
 particularly
because
of
their
previous
experience
in
producing
art
in
a
place
that
is
 constantly
defined
by
its
autocentric
culture.


 
 Some
of
the
most
notable
conceptual
art
practices
in
America
surfaced
in
an
era
 where
the
values
and
ethics
behind
the
country’s
foreign
policies
(like
the
 American
involvement
in
the
Vietnam
War)
were
questioned
and
rebelled
against,
 alongside
growing
domestic
political
issues
that
coalesced
through
broad
cultural
 























































 1 .
Manuel
Castells,
The
Power
of
Identity,
(Malden:
Blackwell
Publishers,
1997),
66.
 2.
Kimberli
Meyer,
Interview
on
February
16,
2011.
 
 2
 and
political
movements
like
civil
rights
and
feminism.

At
this
same
time,
artists
 were
creating
works
that
critiqued
art’s
value
as
purely
economic.

Artists
such
as
 Allan
Kaprow
and
his
‘Happenings’
(which
started
out
as
staged
events
that
 commanded
participants
to
follow
a
script)
and
Joseph
Kosuth’s
One
and
Three
 Chairs
(1965)
(which
was
an
installation
comprised
of
a
chair,
a
photograph
of
that
 chair
against
the
wall,
and
a
poster
that
contained
a
dictionary
definition
of
a
 chair)
were
exploring
new
concepts
that
were
further
motivated
by
the
goal
of
 creating
works
that
focused
on
subjective
experience
and
encouraged
 contemplation.

Even
as
some
critics
identified
the
1960’s
as
the
definitive
period
 for
emergent
American
conceptual
art,
the
breadth
of
practices
by
critically
 acclaimed
artists
of
that
time
(like
Kaprow
and
Kosuth)
not
only
mark
a
pivotal
 shift
in
art
production
in
the
1960’s
but
also
of
the
current
moment. 3 

As
Lucy
 Lippard
and
John
Chandler
have
both
claimed,
conceptual
art
“[continued]
from
 the
opposing
formalist
premise.” 4 

As
art
production
was
moving
past
formalism
 (where
a
work
of
art
was
evaluated
by
its
visual
form
and
specifically
its
medium)
 and
was
starting
to
produce
pieces
meant
to
be
experienced
within
a
wider
 intellectual,
political
and
social
context,
the
value
of
art
was
also
shifting
from
the
 exclusive
circles
of
art
collectors
and
institutions
like
fine
art
museums
towards
a
 commercial
arena
with
corporate
patrons.


The
practice
of
making
art
that
actively
 























































 3.
Lucy
R.
Lippard
and
John
Chandler,
“The
Dematerialization
of
Art,”
Conceptual
Art:
A
Critical
Anthology
(Cambridge:
The
 MIT
Press,
1999),
46‐50.

 4 
Lucy
R.
Lippard
and
John
Chandler,
“The
Dematerialization
of
Art,”
Conceptual
Art:
A
Critical
Anthology
(Cambridge:
The
 MIT
Press,
1999),
49.
 
 3
 engages
contemplation
beyond
material
quality
is
what
leads
critical
discourse
in
 contemporary
art
today.

Because
its
value
as
a
practice
has
transcended
art
 production
outside
of
traditional
exhibition
venues
and
art
institutions,
the
art
 world
has
become,
in
a
sense,
limitless.

The
MAK
Center’s
exhibition
of
art
on
 billboards
in
urban
space
demonstrates
how
influential
conceptual
art
continues
 to
be
and
how
art
practices
in
the
public
realm
can
transform
the
way
society
is
 defined.



 
 Seth
Siegelaub’s
(b.1941)
innovative
promotion
of
artists
(and
their
work)
 consequently
expanded
the
relationship
between
art
and
media
at
around
the
 same
time
that
conceptual
art
practices
had
begun
to
emerge.

As
an
art
dealer
and
 curator,
his
strategic
endeavor
to
persuade
private
corporations
to
invest
in
art
 (particularly,
in
his
own
rolodex
of
artists)
was
already
paving
the
way
for
 conceptual
art
practices
and
their
critical
function
in
the
public
realm.

His
focus
 on
exploiting
the
impact
of
publicity
and
how
it
influenced
the
value
of
art
(in
the
 1960’s,
and
also
in
the
proceeding
two
decades)
is
critical
in
understanding
what
 Siegelaub
exposed:

the
power
of
corporate
identity.

In
considering
the
history
of
 conceptual
art
and
the
psychological
impact
of
billboard
advertising
on
the
 majority
of
society,
it
is
clear
Siegelaub’s
contributions
towards
the
significant
 shifts
(in
the
artworld
during
that
period
of
time)
have
influenced
the
use
of
 billboard
space
by
conceptually‐oriented
contemporary
artists.

The
relationship
 
 4
 between
corporate
interests,
commercial
media
standards,
art,
and
the
 construction
of
image
and
social
identity
are
all
elements
that
Siegelaub
addressed
 through
his
practice
of
promoting
artists.
 5 

His
role
as
an
art
liaison,
or
facilitator,
 is
similar
to
the
MAK
Center’s
function
in
the
production
of
the
exhibition
and
its
 extensive
roster
of
public
programs.

Essentially,
his
pursuit
of
corporate
patronage
 experimented
with
the
power
of
media
as
a
tool
in
identity
construction
and
art’s
 ability
to
shape
social
consciousness.

His
interest
in
the
influence
of
mass
media,
 public
identity,
and
corporate
investment
in
art
resonates
with
themes
that
surface
 in
the
How
Many
Billboards?
exhibition.

By
emphasizing
that
value
of
cultural
 capital
to
a
corporation’s
bottom
line,
Siegelaub’s
efforts
in
publicizing
the
work
of
 artists
through
the
solicitation
of
corporate
sponsorship
continues
to
influence
the
 current
relationship
of
art
and
commercial
projects.


Siegelaub’s
own
complex
 history
and
relationship
to
the
development
of
conceptual
art
provides
insight
in
 analyzing
the
continued
corporate
support
of
public
art
including
billboards
today.

 
 In
February
and
March
of
2010,
the
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture
secured
 the
use
of
approximately
twenty‐one
billboards
concentrated
primarily
in
Los
 Angeles’
Westside,
continuing
to
the
city’s
Downtown
section.
These
were
located
 along
major
traffic
corridors
within
a
close
proximity
to
West
Hollywood
(where
 the
non‐profit
organization’s
office
is
located
inside
its
hallmark
building,
the
 























































 5.
Alexander
Alberro,
Conceptual
Art
and
the
Politics
of
Publicity,
(Cambridge:
The
MIT
Press,
2003),
6‐24.

Seth
Siegelaub’s
 projects
are
discussed
more
in
detail
in
this
book.

 
 5
 Schindler
House).

The
project
hinged
on
commissioning
twenty‐one
artists
to
 each
produce
a
piece
that
would
be
then
mounted
on
existing
outdoor
boards.

 
 How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
in
Stead
was
produced
through
the
collaborative
efforts
 of
many
prominent
foundations
and
municipal
agencies.

Advisory
members
were
 comprised
of
various
consultants
from
Los
Angeles‐based
non‐profit
art
 organizations
(like
Freewaves,
ForYourArt,
and
West
of
Rome),
four
Los
Angeles
 municipal
agencies
(the
Community
Redevelopment
Agency
of
Los
Angeles‐ CRA/LA,
the
City
of
Los
Angeles’
Department
of
Cultural
Affairs,
the
Los
Angeles
 County
Arts
Commission
Civic
Art
Program,
and
Metro
‐
the
Los
Angeles
County
 Metropolitan
Transportation
Authority),
and
two
media
consultants
from
 MacDonald
Media
(Rick
Robinson
and
Kristy
Nichols).

Seven
outdoor
advertising
 companies
(specifically,
Clear
Channel
Outdoor,
CBS
Dacaux,
CBS
Outdoor,
Fuel
 Outdoor,
General
Outdoor
Advertising,
Regency
Outdoor
Advertising,
and
Van
 Wagner
Communications)
participated
in
donating
billboard
space.

Public
art
 consultant
Sara
Daleiden
managed
the
public
programming
elements
of
the
 project
and
provided
strategic
support
and
insight
to
organize
the
event.

The
 executive
director
of
the
MAK
Center,
Kimberli
Meyer,
led
the
entire
project
as
 well
as
a
separate
curatorial
team
comprised
of
independent
Los
Angeles‐based
 curators
Nizan
Shaked,
Gloria
Sutton,
and
Lisa
Henry.

Through
the
intersectoral
 involvement
of
Los
Angeles’
major
cultural
producers,
the
exhibition
tapped
into
 
 6
 the
existing
support
for
conceptually
repurposing
the
space
of
the
billboard,
a
 practice
that
has
been
done
in
a
variety
of
other
cities
and
contexts.

 
 Because
the
main
goal
of
exhibiting
art
on
billboard
space
was
to
transform
its
 function,
it
was
essential
that
the
installation
of
images
were
conducted
without
 monetary
exchange
for
the
billboards’
use. 6 

Because
these
spaces
were
privately
 owned,
the
exhibition’s
organizers
needed
private
sector
partnerships
to
help
 realize
the
project.

Through
the
efforts
of
outdoor
media
consultant
Rick
 Robinson,
several
outdoor
media
companies
participated
in
the
project
by
allowing
 the
MAK
Center
use
of
their
billboards.

The
participation
of
this
many
media
 companies
is
significant
because
the
unconventional
use
of
so
many
billboard
 spaces
at
one
given
time
proved
that
the
billboards
were
not
doomed
to
function
 solely
for
commercial
purposes.

The
participation
of
so
many
prominent
groups
 (including
those
that
are
not
exclusive
to
the
art
world)
in
such
an
extensive
art
 project
throughout
the
city
is
indicative
of
the
willingness
to
see
change
in
the
 built
environment,
in
some
form
or
another.

In
this
case,
an
art
exhibition
on
 billboard
space
in
the
city
of
Los
Angeles
became
an
experiment
on
repurposing
 existing
media
infrastructure
in
urban
space
without
altering
the
structures’
 physical
form.
 























































 6.
Because
billboards
are
the
property
of
private
corporations,
commercial
advertisements
are
usually
charged
a
monthly
 rental
fee
for
billboard
occupation.

 
 
 7
 The
Practice
of
Visual
Representation
in
Urban
Planning
 The
history
of
outdoor
advertising
in
Los
Angeles
is
especially
critical
in
examining
 current
urban
conditions
and
how
the
city’s
social
lifestyle
is
also
psychologically
 reinforced
through
the
physical
organization
of
the
city.

Municipal
redevelopment
 efforts
clearly
endeavor
to
transform
blighted
spaces
through
physical
 restructuring
of
built
form
and
environment. 7 

The
images
on
billboards
contribute
 to
the
overall
aesthetic
of
public
space
just
as
much
as
the
architecture
of
 buildings,
the
landscape
of
vegetation,
and
the
design
of
urban
infrastructure.

The
 identity
of
cities
is
instilled
through
a
system
of
permanent
and
ephemeral
 structures
that
are
utilized
as
mechanisms
to
organize
urban
space.

The
fact
that
 the
image
of
the
city
is
dependent
upon
an
element
that
is
temporal
in
nature
 makes
an
even
stronger
case
for
why
the
billboard
space
is
the
ideal
opportunity
 for
social
intervention.

Particularly
in
Los
Angeles,
where
change
regularly
occurs
 through
the
constant
development
and
improvement
of
real
estate
and
 infrastructure,
the
imagery
on
the
billboard
is
also
subject
to
a
cyclical
process
of
 change.

The
exhibition
takes
advantage
of
the
interruption
in
the
regular
flow
of
 commercial
messaging.
 
 The
idea
of
investigating
how
institutionalized
projections
are
instilled
in
the
 majority
of
the
public
is
necessary
in
tying
how
the
practice
of
constructed
visual
 























































 7.
The
Community
Redevelopment
Agency
of
Los
Angeles,
http://www.crala.org/internet‐site/About/index.cfm
(date
 accessed
2
January
2011).
 
 8
 imagery
affects
society
outside
the
institution
of
art.

Conceptual
art
in
the
1960’s
 represents
a
critical
moment
in
art
production
because
artists
were
interested
in
 challenging
institutionalized
notions
of
what
art
was
and
what
it
could
be.

 However,
considering
how
the
built
environment
is
constructed
and
how
public
 space
is
created
by
the
organizational
efforts
of
both
private
and
public
 institutions,
these
types
of
art
practices
did
not
simply
reveal
how
representation
 is
utilized
within
the
art
world,
but
how
representation
affects
the
public
when
any
 entity
constructs
images.


 
 In
utilizing
the
strategy
of
constructed
imagery,
the
profession
of
urban
planning
 produces
documents
that
incorporate
visual
aids
with
text
for
the
purpose
of
 instilling
compelling
visions
that
coincide
with
particular
initiatives
for
specific
 places.

According
to
adjunct
instructor
at
the
University
of
Southern
California’s
 School
of
Policy,
Planning,
and
Development,
Dr.
Meredith
Drake
Reitan,
it
is
 though
this
rhetoric
of
representation
that
planners
have
influenced
“public
 officials
and
the
public
at
large
to
act.” 8 

Additionally,
the
practice
of
place‐making
 has
also
allowed
planners
to
subliminally
embed
constructed
realities
within
the
 organization
of
space.
Idealized
destinations
influence
social
identity
because
of
 the
lifestyle
that
is
offered
with
the
package.
The
replication
of
places
has
not
only
 allowed
the
elite
to
dictate
and
shape
how
public
space
looks
and
how
it
is
used,
 























































 8. 
Meredith
Drake
Reitan.

Rhetoric
of
Representation:
Planning
Los
Angeles’
Civic
Space
1909‐2009,
(Los
Angeles:
University
 of
Southern
California,
2010),
xii.
 
 9
 but
it
also
offers
a
false
sense
of
reality,
that
is
usually
only
comprised
of
elements
 that
are
desired
in
real
life
and
not
characteristics
that
are
unattractive
to
 consumers.

For
example,
Caruso
Affiliated
(the
corporate
developers
of
the
Grove
 outdoor
shopping
center
in
Los
Angeles)
take
advantage
of
community
desires
by
 constructing
a
mall
that
looks
like
a
small
town.

Outdoor
media
has
become
a
 supplemental
externality
of
redevelopment
that
has
impacted
the
consciousness
of
 society
through
its
physical
location
and
the
choice
of
projections
in
public
space.

 
 The
argument
against
the
continued
presence
of
outdoor
commercial
imagery
 centers
around
legislative
decisions
that
have
allowed
for
the
limited
ownership
of
 the
billboard
structures
that
exist
in
Los
Angeles.

The
current
dominance
of
the
 few
outdoor
advertising
companies
(that
own
and
operate
the
majority
of
billboard
 spaces
in
Los
Angeles)
are
indicative
of
the
strong
political
influence
of
elected
 officials
and
private
companies
over
public
space.

Specifically,
private
commercial
 advertising
companies,
like
CBS
Outdoor,
have
been
able
to
bypass
the
restrictions
 of
a
2002
ban
on
erecting
new
billboards
and
have
actually
converted
a
number
of
 their
existing
billboards
into
digital
formats
as
a
result
of
court
settlements. 9 

 























































 9.
David
Zahniser,
Billboard‐ban
lawsuit
centers
on
free
speech,
Jan
3,2010,
Los
Angeles
Times,
 http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/03/local/la‐me‐freespeech4‐2010jan04,
(date
accessed
02
January
2011).
 In
preparation
for
the
show
in
2009,
political
issues
surrounding
the
visibility
and
presence
of
outdoor
media
was
already
 present
within
many
public
debates.

The
critical
impact
of
outdoor
graphics
in
urban
environments
had
been
a
contentious
 issue
between
political
groups
and
residents.
The
mass
installation
of
supergraphics
escalated
the
controversy
even
more
 because
this
(even
larger)
outdoor
advertising
medium
is
usually
projected
onto
or
wrapped
around
high‐rise
buildings
 around
commercial
areas
in
the
city.

In
2002,
the
citywide
ban
on
erections
of
massive
outdoor
advertisements
further
 prevented
any
new
billboard
construction
as
well.

The
intensity
of
outdoor
advertisements
in
Los
Angeles
further
motivated
 legislative
intervention
to
assess
and
control
any
continued
attempts
to
create
more
large
commercial
advertisements
in
any
 commercial
areas
in
the
city.
 
 10
 These
events
all
lead
to
the
resulting
monopoly
of
the
few
companies
who
now
 solely
profit
off
of
the
commercial
messaging
in
Los
Angeles
and,
consequently,
 have
also
become
the
group
that
dominates
the
outdoor
advertising
industry
in
 the
city.

The
2002
ban,
in
effect,
disrupted
the
construction
of
more
billboards
but
 inevitably
elevated
the
power
and
elite
status
of
outdoor
advertising
companies
 and
increased
the
influence
of
existing
marketing
imagery
on
public
space
(as
 allowed
by
the
handful
of
corporations
that
still
have
billboards
up).

The
 exclusivity
and
power
concentrated
in
the
few
companies
that
were
able
to
avoid
 the
ban
is
what
characterizes
their
elite
status.

In
referencing
this
group
(along
 with
politicians,
city
administrators,
real
estate
developers,
and
the
wealthy
class)
 the
power
of
this
elite
in
city
of
Los
Angeles
is
further
discussed
throughout
the
 rest
of
this
document.

 
 The
visibility
of
private
sector
influence
over
public
space
is
apparent
in
the
 business
of
urban
redevelopment
through
the
Community
Redevelopment
Agency
 of
Los
Angeles
(CRA/LA).

This
quasi‐public
sector
agency
is
controlled
by
various
 departments
within
the
city,
functioning
to
revitalize
places
that
it
officially
 considers
blighted
by
incentivizing
private
sector
businesses
to
invest
in
the
area. 10 

 The
Bunker
Hill
Project
Area
(which
is
located
just
north
of
downtown
Los
 























































 10.
The
Community
Redevelopment
Agency
of
Los
Angeles,
http://www.crala.org/internet‐site/About/index.cfm
 (date
accessed
2
January
2011).
 The
agency
is
directed
by
an
administrator
who
is
appointed
by
a
Board
of
seven
Commissioners.

The
Board
is
appointed
by
 the
Mayor
and
is
approved
by
the
City
Council.

The
City
Council
also
approves
any
and
all
agency
actions.
 
 11
 Angeles)
was
adopted
on
March
31,
1959
as
the
first
redevelopment
project
of
 CRA/LA.

Through
this
agency,
the
city
of
Los
Angeles
has
been
able
to
foster
a
 strong
relationship
between
local
politicians
and
private
enterprise.

This
is
 evident
by
the
type
of
commercial
development
projects
that
currently
dominate
 public
spaces
throughout
the
city
like
commercial
center,
LA
Live.

This
privately
 owned
commercial
and
retail
public
space
(which
is
also
an
entertainment
venue)
 is
emblematic
of
how
public
space
is
typically
configured,
programmed,
and
 monopolized
by
the
interests
of
the
elite.


Even
as
a
citywide
signage
ban
was
 established,
the
creation
of
Sign
Supplemental
Use
Districts
(where
special
areas
 were
able
to
bypass
the
prohibitions
of
the
ban,
particularly
around
LA
Live)
 demonstrates
how
influential
private
commercial
enterprise
continues
to
be.

 While
these
types
of
commercial
developments
seem
like
public
space,
it
appears
 that
the
public
itself
is
constantly
being
re‐defined
as
well.

By
rebranding
existing
 places
to
attract
outside
commercial,
institutional,
and
residential
investment,
new
 users
are
presented
with
constructed
places
that
are
offered
to
them
without
 options
for
alternatives,
much
like
advertising
imagery.

The
imperative
of
the
 power
of
identity
and
how
it
is
constituted
legally
is
critical
in
understanding
how
 public
space
is
designed
in
Los
Angeles.

 
 In
response
to
the
overwhelming
presence
of
market
driven
imagery
that
 dominates
the
city,
the
MAK
Center
sought
to
borrow
the
billboard
space
for
the
 
 12
 practice
of
art.

Stripped
of
the
function
of
generating
sales
or
commercial
 promotion
of
goods,
the
billboard
was
utilized
by
two
particular
artists
as
a
space
 to
convey
images
that
instead,
presented
contemplation
and
thought
about
the
 human
condition.

The
artworks
of
Ken
Gonzales‐Day
and
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez
 both
embody
this
conceptual
objective.
The
exhibition
of
artistic
images
without
 commercial
value
transformed
the
function
of
the
billboard
in
urban
space.

 Artistic
skill
and
a
deep
awareness
about
the
machinations
of
media
were
deployed
 to
change
the
messages
projected
from
the
billboard
structures.

By
presenting
 images
that
were
not
intended
for
consumers,
their
use
of
the
billboard
challenges
 the
function
of
the
space
as
they
projected
imagery
that
provoked
individual
 contemplation
instead
of
product
promotion.

 
 Both
Gonzales‐Day’s
and
Martinez’s
artworks
are
examined
with
an
analysis
of
 how
each
artist
strategically
used
images
that
sought
to
expose
different
 expressions
of
historic
representation.

Both
pieces
also
projected
strong
references
 to
cultural
identity
and
societal
conditions.

Gonzales‐Day’s
piece
confronted
 viewers
with
an
image
that
combined
historic
representations
of
two
men
from
 two
different
time
periods.


Martinez
referenced
historic
events
to
create
an
image
 that
revealed
how
politics
is
inherently
tied
to
how
we
perceive
society.

Both
 pieces
insisted
on
exposing
a
constructed
image
(that
was
already
socially
defined
 by
previous
representation)
through
narratives
that
suggest
looking
at
existing
 
 13
 relics
from
another
perspective.

These
pieces
are
exemplary
of
how
conceptual
art
 from
the
1960’s
has
influenced
the
work
of
contemporary
artists
and
how
its
 presence
beyond
the
boundaries
of
formal
art
institutions
indicates
that
the
future
 of
art
is
evolving
into
a
practice
that
is
not
defined
by
(or
cannot
be
limited
within)
 any
fixed
institutional
criteria.

The
original
principles
of
the
practice
(including
 using
the
very
media
that
is
being
critiqued
to
deliver
the
critique)
have
 manifested
itself
through
the
billboard
exhibition
and
both
artists
have
 demonstrated
how
the
role
of
art
can
be
more
valuable
in
public
space
as
an
 experimental
strategy
rather
than
just
as
physical
public
art
sculptures.

 
 Manuel
Castells’
theory
of
a
physical
bridge
is
the
driving
concept
that
makes
this
 exhibition
of
art
on
billboards
in
Los
Angeles
significant.

As
a
one
of
the
most
 reputable
sociologists
of
his
time,
his
work
and
research
have
influenced
the
fields
 of
sociology,
architectural
theory,
social
science,
political
economics,
and
 communications
technology
(among
others).

He
has
written
twenty‐two
academic
 books,
co‐authored
twenty‐one,
and
has
written
over
one
hundred
journal
articles
 to
date.

He
has
also
been
knighted
“for
cause
of
scientific
merit”
in
five
countries. 11 

 Among
his
other
accomplishments,
he
is
widely
known
for
his
publication
of
a
 three‐volume
account
(1996‐1998)
of
the
Information
Age
and
how
it
is
 























































 11.
University
of
Southern
California,
“Faculty:
Manuel
Castells,”
University
of
Southern
California,
Annenberg
School
of
 Communications
and
Journalism,
http://annenberg.usc.edu/Faculty/Communication%20and%20Journalism/CastellsM.aspx
 (date
accessed
1
March
2011).

 
 14
 transforming
society
(from
an
industrial
labor
force)
through
the
economic
 exchanges
of
elite
people
with
global
and
technological
access,
which
he
 characterizes
as
the
network
society.

Castells
identifies
the
space
of
flows
as
the
 space
that
projects
the
interests
of
the
network
society,
which
is
critical
in
 contextualizing
how
the
billboard
functions
in
city
space
and
how
the
imagery
on
 that
space
influences
social
identity
through
the
marketing
efforts
of
a
desirable
 image
of
the
city. 12 

In
observing
city
space,
this
elite
class
of
people
can
also
 include
city
administrators,
private
sector
entrepreneurs,
and
real
estate
 developers
who
control
how
space
is
organized
and
programmed.
 
 Castells’
observations
remain
relevant
due
to
his
articulation
of
the
detrimental
 impacts
of
globalization
on
the
general
public,
and
yet
his
theories
convey
a
sense
 of
optimism
in
a
time
when
technology
was
not
nearly
as
accessible
as
it
is
today.

 His
writings
actually
strengthened
the
need
for
an
intervention
in
city
space.

The
 necessity
of
a
bridge
that
ties
authentic
local
experience
and
generic
constructed
 urban
form
becomes
the
argument
that
drives
the
significance
of
the
exhibition.


 The
notion
of
installing
art
in
the
place
of
mediated
imagery
is
the
ideal
response
 to
public
space
development.

The
exhibition
of
art
is
even
more
critical
in
 disrupting
the
messages
that
come
with
urban
development
when
realizing
who
 (outdoor
advertising,
private
enterprise,
and
redevelopment
industries)
actually
 























































 12.
Manuel
Castells,
The
Rise
of
the
Network
Society,
(Cambridge:
Blackwell
Publishers
Inc.,
1996),
416.
 
 15
 designs
urban
space
and
who
is
actually
left
out
of
the
equation.

Because
the
 media
has
used
the
space
of
billboards
as
a
platform
for
promotional
voice,
the
 exhibition
took
advantage
of
this
as
opportunity
to
project
alternate
dialogues
by
 conveying
imagery
that
utilized
strategically
constructed
imagery,
similar
to
 commercial
ads.

Castells
emphasized
that
the
necessity
of
this
intervention
was
 rooted
in
the
imperative
of
a
necessary
link
between
the
realities
of
what
is
being
 built
physically
and
what
actually
exists
socially.







 
 The
ramifications
of
commercial
advertising
on
billboards
are
examined
in
the
 context
of
what
Castells’
understood
in
1996
to
be
the
emergence
of
the
network
 society. 13 

Castells
cautions
that
the
identity
of
physical
places
stands
to
be
 detrimentally
affected
by
the
globalizing
nature
of
this
elite
class.

In
identifying
a
 pivotal
point
in
time
where
society
is
in
the
midst
of
a
technological
age,
an
elite
 civilization
that
is
connected
through
technological
and
global
enterprise
will
 dominate
the
rest.
While
the
billboard
is
an
obvious
part
of
the
institutional
 construction
of
public
space
along
with
the
development
of
architecture
and
urban
 design,
the
exhibition
of
art
shows
how
effective
it
can
be
as
an
agent
for
change,
 given
its
altered
function.

 
 























































 13.
Manuel
Castells,
(1996),
421.
 
 16
 Because
of
how
it
projects
psychological
messaging
alongside
the
physical
 development
within
the
city,
the
billboard
is
conceptually
a
space
where
flows
 influence
place.

Castells’
harrowing
observations
of
the
domination
of
a
 technological
society
that
is
identified
through
globalizing
interests
have
all
but
 replaced
how
space
is
culturally
interpreted.

Through
commercial
flows
that
are
 constantly
projected
from
billboards
onto
public
streets,
subconscious
messages
of
 identity
and
self
are
offered
to
the
majority
of
society
as
they
passively
and
readily
 consume
images
that
they
visually
encounter
in
public
space.
This
routine
 instillation
of
commercial
flows
is
reinforced
by
the
abundance
of
billboards
that
 legally
clutter
commercial
districts
(like
Downtown
Los
Angeles
and
Hollywood
 which
both
embody
the
idealized
perceptions
of
west
coast
glamour,
luxury,
and
 wealth)
and
consequently
continue
to
promote
the
city
as
a
place
of
desirable
 lifestyle
and
culture.

It
is
in
this
way
that
identity
is
ultimately
influenced
and
 shaped
by
the
physical
construction
of
space.

The
continued
opposition
of
the
 presence
of
billboards
and
outdoor
media
in
Los
Angeles
illustrates
Castells’
 polemic
account
of
the
detriments
of
a
society
that
is
guided
by
technology
and
 not
by
human
experience.


 
 Instead
of
an
authentic
cultural
presence
in
urban
spaces
where
the
use
is
dictated
 by
functions
of
the
local
people,
cultural
places
are
often
defined
by
the
 conservation
of
historic
structures
and
new
commercial
development
that
have
 
 17
 programmed
the
use
of
those
spaces.

These
‘new’
places
are
increasingly
derived
 from
historical
precedents
of
function
and
control.

This
observation
is
exemplified
 in
specific
districts
like
Hollywood,
where
the
area
that
boasts
the
glamour
of
old
 films
and
historically
preserved
art
deco
architecture
is
juxtaposed
with
the
 novelty
of
being
an
American
celebrity
enclave,
complete
with
contemporary
night
 life
and
retail
attractions.

The
identities
of
place
have
been
imitated
and
 established
globally
as
communications
technology
continues
to
make
the
world
 smaller
and
more
similar
looking.

Because
the
vast
majority
of
consumer
society
 utilizes
these
places,
their
culture
is
also
being
defined
by
the
homogenizing
values
 projected
from
billboards.

Thus,
the
false
authenticity
in
the
history
of
places
has
 consequently
produced
a
lack
of
authentic
identity
for
society
in
general.

 
 Despite
these
realities,
Castells
finds
resolve
in
conceptualizing
that
a
physical
 bridge
must
connect
the
space
of
flows
and
places. 14 

Analyzing
the
impact
of
How
 Many
Billboards?
in
this
context
is
useful
in
determining
if
art
on
billboards
can
be
 the
quintessential
bridge. 15 
The
concept
of
the
bridge
is
applied
when
utilizing
the
 billboard
as
a
functional
place
for
communication
of
any
type
of
message.

Despite
 its
historic
commercial
use,
the
billboard
is
the
ideal
platform
for
social
 intervention,
because
of
the
ephemeral
nature
of
the
imagery
that
occupies
the
 space.

Transforming
public
opinion
regarding
the
function
of
the
billboard
as
a
 























































 14.
Manuel
Castells,
(1996),
377‐428.

 15.
Manuel
Castells,
(1996),
428.
 
 18
 platform
for
a
new
public
consciousness
can
demonstrate
the
efficacy
of
the
 medium
as
a
successful
bridge.

If
the
impacts
of
the
globalizing
messages
from
 billboards
in
urban
spaces
(as
physical
bridges
between
flows
and
places)
have
 inadvertently
constructed
how
society
is
perceived
today,
then
local
identity
can
 be
realized
through
the
change
in
the
messages
projected
on
that
space. 16 

Thus,
 the
exhibition
of
art
on
billboards
symbolizes
the
essence
of
the
bridge.
 
 Barbara
Kruger
&
Felix
Gonzales–Torres
 Even
as
many
other
artists
before
this
exhibition
have
utilized
the
billboard
as
a
 public
platform
for
art,
the
exhibition
of
How
Many
Billboards?
is
paradigmatic
of
 contemporary
conceptual
art
because
its
varied
presentation
of
artists’
practices
 exposed
how
the
billboard
can
be
used
in
a
variety
of
ways
to
project
a
range
of
 messages.
Artists
such
as
Barbara
Kruger
and
Felix
Gonzales‐Torres
have
utilized
 the
medium
of
the
billboard
in
two
very
distinct
and
significant
ways.
However,
 both
artists
demonstrate
a
critical
approach
to
using
billboards
solely
as
outlets
for
 anonymous
corporate
messages.
This
critically‐driven
practice
is
conveyed
 through
the
work
of
two
artists
included
in
the
How
Many
Billboards?
exhibition.


 Recall
Barbara
Kruger’s
(b.1945)
Untitled
(We
Don’t
Need
Another
Hero)
(1986),
 which
juxtaposed
text
with
an
illustration
of
a
young
boy
who
is
flexing
a
bicep
in
 front
of
a
young
girl.

She
stands
behind
him
and
is
engaged
in
the
boy’s
action
as
 























































 16 .
Ibid.
 
 19
 she
points
toward
his
muscle.

The
text
(reading:
“We
Don’t
Need
Another
Hero”)
 is
situated
on
top
of
a
red
stripe
that
horizontally
crosses
the
entire
image
(which
 is
in
black
and
white).
The
placement
of
the
text
and
the
color
used
to
accentuate
 the
words
is
a
strategic
decision
that
is
also
present
in
many
of
Kruger’s
works.

 The
boy’s
pose
and
illustrative
depiction
of
children
from
the
post‐war
era
is
 strikingly
familiar
to
a
famous
feminist
icon,
the
Rosie
the
Riveter
poster.

Like
 Kruger’s
piece,
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez
has
also
appropriated
familiar
symbols
and
 images
in
order
to
create
a
new
understanding
of
their
meaning.

The
message
that
 he
has
conveyed
through
his
piece
is
achieved
in
a
similar
fashion
with
that
of
 Kruger’s
work.

By
juxtaposing
signified
material
with
text,
he
has
altered
the
 preconceived
value
of
the
objects
that
guide
his
composition.

 
 The
work
of
Ken
Gonzales‐Day
resonates
with
Felix
Gonzales‐Torres’
(1957‐1996)
 piece
through
Gonzales‐Torres’
exhibition
of
a
monochromatic
image
of
an
 unmade
bed,
Untitled
(1991)
(which
was
installed
on
twenty‐four
billboards
in
New
 York
City).

The
exhibition
of
the
photographed
image
presents
the
public
with
 intimate
issues
that
are
usually
discussed
in
private.

Both
works
offer
imagery
that
 provoke
a
dialogue
about
social
relationships
and
human
intimacy.

While
 Gonzales‐Torres
piece
stages
a
scene
that
suggests
intimate
interaction
after
it
has
 happened,
Gonzales‐Day
constructs
a
scene
that
more
forwardly
confronts
 homosexuality
by
intentionally
projecting
a
scene
between
two
male
figures.

 
 20
 The
projection
of
art
on
billboards
is
not
new
in
concept,
but
the
exhibition
of
 multiple
works
in
Los
Angeles
is
indicative
of
how
the
visual
landscape
is
 changing.

Because
of
the
massive
amount
of
billboards
that
already
dominate
the
 city
horizon,
the
possibility
of
changing
the
type
of
imagery
projected
on
the
 structures
and
finding
another
use
for
them
stands
to
impact
the
physical
 environment
of
the
city
in
a
comprehensive
(and
possibly
cohesive)
way.

 Experimentation
of
this
space
could
consequently
produce
more
cultural
 infrastructure
that
involves
increased
participation
of
people
(outside
of
the
 current
elite
group)
in
constructing
how
the
image
of
the
city
looks,
or
at
the
very
 least,
reinforces
the
need
for
such
a
platform.




 
 21
 Chapter
1.
Critical
examination
of
the
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture’s
 exhibition
of
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
in
Stead
(2010)
 
 The
Exhibition
 The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture’s
2010
exhibition
of
How
Many
 Billboards:
Art
in
Stead
was
a
curatorial
intervention
that
produced
a
varied
array
 of
subversive
imagery
despite
the
review
and
approval
process
that
each
piece
 underwent
upon
its
selection.

Proposals
were
selected
through
a
curatorial
vetting
 process
that
allowed
the
curators
of
the
project
to
select
artists
whose
work
would
 best
suit
the
space
of
the
billboard. 17 

Along
with
the
curatorial
team,
the
 involvement
of
a
media
buyer
on
the
advisory
board
supplemented
the
selection
 process. 18 

The
winning
pieces
were
then
subject
to
adhere
to
the
standard
format
 of
commercial
billboards,
including
sending
each
work
to
a
company
that
 converted
the
images
into
large
vinyl
material
(which
is
typically
the
medium
used
 for
mounting
imagery
on
billboard
space).

In
addition
to
the
technical
 requirements
being
dictated
by
industry
standards,
the
content
also
needed
to
 abide
by
the
industry’s
policies
and
practices.
 
 More
than
just
an
outdoor
installation,
each
work
in
the
exhibition
embodied
 different
techniques
and
strategies
of
messaging
that
reinforced
the
strength
and
 efficacy
of
art
in
the
public
realm,
and
also
re‐conceptualized
the
use
and
value
of
 























































 17.
Sara
Daleiden,
“The
Making
of
How
Many
Billboards?:
A
Public
Art
Perspective,”
in
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
In
Stead,
 (Los
Angeles:
The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture,
2010),
148.
 18.
Sara
Daleiden,
153.
 
 22
 billboards
through
the
vernacular
of
twenty‐one
distinguished
contemporary
 artists.

Because
of
the
dominant
presence
of
billboards
in
Los
Angeles,
the
 artwork
selected
for
the
exhibition
needed
to
be
able
to
challenge
the
existing
 commercial
images
that
are,
by
nature,
already
provocative
in
design.

The
 conceptual
tone
of
the
exhibit
is
also
channeled
through
the
work
of
specific
 artists
(like
Michael
Asher,
Allen
Ruppersberg,
David
Lamelas,
Yvonne
Rainer,
and
 Martha
Rosler)
who
were
all
creating
conceptual
work
in
the
1960’s
and
are
 currently
still
producing
and
exhibiting
art
today.

All
of
the
artists
were
 individually
invited
to
participate
based
on
their
previous
experiences
in
Los
 Angeles
and
their
capacity
to
produce
work
that
would
respond
to
this
outdoor
 opportunity.

These
elements
were
critical
in
achieving
the
conceptual
framework
 required
to
transform
the
space.

While
the
resulting
pieces
were
images
that
did
 not
overtly
draw
public
or
political
confrontation,
each
artwork
still
achieved
what
 the
exhibition
set
out
to
do.

Because
of
the
range
of
artwork
produced,
the
 exhibition
became
a
unified
front
against
the
commercial
use
of
this
platform,
if
 only
for
a
brief
moment.

In
presenting
a
variety
of
conceptual
work
as
represented
 by
twenty‐one
different
artists
(as
opposed
to
an
exhibition
of
one
artist’s
work),
 the
pieces
were
able
to
convey
more
than
just
a
singular
issue.

The
success
of
this
 project
was
not
in
its
ability
to
take
over
the
space
of
the
billboard,
but
rather,
how
 each
work
offered
a
new
approach
of
utilizing
that
space
beyond
commercial
 promotion
(or
what
is
more
generally
understood
as
branding
or
marketing).

As
a
 
 23
 system
of
images
that
did
not
include
any
duplicate
artwork
or
consistent
series,
 the
message
became
clear:
this
space
was
valuable
as
something
else.

It
could
be
 utilized
by
individuals,
not
just
corporations.

It
could
be
a
cultural
space
that
 serves
as
a
platform
for
local
use.

 
 Even
as
political
constraints
(within
existing
outdoor
advertising
agencies)
 revolving
around
corporate
ties
with
leading
advertising
clients
(like
McDonalds)
 prevented
proposals
from
being
selected
(like
one
of
lauren
woods’
which
put
the
 fast
food
giant
in
a
potentially
unflattering
light)
the
exhibition
was
still
able
to
 include
one
of
her
other
salient
pieces. 19 

More
than
simply
being
‘elite’,
 McDonalds
is
a
major
outdoor
advertiser
and
thus
welds
tremendous
influence
 over
how
it
is
legally
and
officially
represented.

The
fact
that
this
proposal
(which
 blatantly
attacked
an
elite
corporation)
was
passed
over
for
a
billboard
that
 projected
an
Urdu
poem
in
Arabic
script
shows
that
this
exhibition
was
not
 completely
aimed
as
an
actual
coup
d’etat
of
artists
versus
the
commercial
world. 20 

 Instead,
the
exhibition
revealed
a
willingness
to
experiment
with
the
billboard
as
a
 space
for
a
different
use.

This
process
of
selection
was
a
critical
element
that
 allowed
the
curators
to
creatively
collaborate
with
the
private
sector
in
producing
 























































 19.
Sara
Daleiden,
“The
Making
of
How
Many
Billboards?:
A
Public
Art
Perspective,”
in
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
In
Stead,
 (Los
Angeles:
The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture,
2010),
153.

lauren
woods’
proposal
of
Empire
#1,
which
presented
 the
McDonald’s
golden
arch
symbol
lying
down
was
not
selected
because
it
suggested
a
negative
presentation
of
the
fast
 food
franchise.

 20.
Kimberli
Meyer,
“lauren
woods,”
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
In
Stead,
(Los
Angeles:
The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
 Architecture,
2010),
102.
The
artist’s
own
political
consciousness
is
indicated
through
her
use
of
lower
case
letters,
as
she
 spells
her
name.

Her
participation
is
critical
to
note
because
her
work
(even
if
it
was
not
her
first
preference)
was
still
 sought
after
for
the
exhibition.
 
 24
 an
exhibition
that
was
able
to
articulate
the
interests
of
both
sectors
through
this
 partnership.

As
the
corporations
who
enlisted
in
this
art
project,
the
images
of
the
 seven
outdoor
advertising
companies
were
positively
enhanced
through
their
 eagerness
to
donate
the
space
for
art.

In
the
same
way
that
conceptual
art
dealer
 Seth
Siegelaub
had
acquired
a
network
of
corporate
patrons
in
the
1960’s,
the
 cultural
prestige
of
the
seven
outdoor
advertising
companies
was
elevated
through
 their
association
with
contemporary
art. 21 


In
this
collaborative
endeavor,
both
the
 MAK
Center
and
the
outdoor
advertising
companies
were
able
explore
the
 possibilities
of
what
the
billboard
could
be.

The
exhibition
established
both
how
 art
can
be
used
to
change
our
expectations
for
media
while
simultaneously
 revealing
the
billboard’s
potential
as
a
platform
for
local
voice.

 
 The
random
deployment
of
the
exhibition’s
billboards
along
major
east‐west
traffic
 corridors
in
Los
Angeles
infiltrated
the
hyper‐mediated
presence
of
commercial
 billboards
within
the
proximity
of
the
MAK
Center
in
West
Hollywood.

Even
 though
the
artwork
selected
for
each
billboard
was
not
specifically
created
for
any
 particular
site,
the
locations
of
each
billboard
throughout
commercial
areas
 conveyed
an
all‐encompassing
presence
throughout
a
large
geographic
expanse.

 The
overall
experience
of
a
massive
art
exhibition
within
the
city
was
actually
 enhanced
because
the
designated
billboards
were
spread
apart
from
each
other.

 























































 21.
Alexander
Alberro,
Conceptual
Art
and
the
Politics
of
Publicity,
(Cambridge:
The
MIT
Press,
2003),
14.

 
 25
 The
lack
of
geographic
logic
of
the
billboard
sites
strengthened
the
exhibition
and
 actually
resulted
in
increased
exposure
of
the
artwork
outside
of
West
Hollywood.

 In
conceptualizing
the
space
of
the
billboard
as
an
opportunity
for
subversive
 intervention
of
mediated
messages,
the
artistic
occupation
of
the
space
of
the
 billboard
is
examined
through
the
intentional
presentation
and
use
of
techniques
 utilized
by
two
artists
that
more
forwardly
challenge
the
function
of
the
billboard
 by
producing
work
that
not
only
functions
as
social
education
but
is
also
 intellectually
driven
by
the
politically
and
socially
charged
context
of
both
artists’
 individual
practice.

Both
of
their
pieces
exemplify
the
range
of
subtle
and/or
 deliberate
tactics
present
in
the
pieces
within
the
exhibition.

These
two
artists,
by
 their
own
breadth
of
individual
work,
were
already
producing
art
that
specifically
 revealed
social
truths
through
conceptual
strategy.
 
 Ken
Gonzales‐Day’s
Billboard
 Ken
Gonzales‐Day
(b.
1964)
is
an
artist
who
has
been
recognized
for
projects
 regarding
societal
discontent
and
geographic
identity.

His
most
notable
works
are
 his
production
of
reinterpreted
photographic
images
of
archived
photos
and
 images
of
physical
lynching
sites
throughout
the
state
of
California.

His
 comprehensive
research
and
documentation
is
included
in
the
publication
 Lynching
in
the
West:
1800‐1935
(2006).

In
exploring
the
history
of
lynching
in
 America
and
its
primarily
synonymous
association
with
African
Americans,
his
 
 26
 research
and
art
expose
the
forgotten
murders
of
other
minority
groups
that
were
 also
a
part
of
the
tragic
history
of
Anglo
brutality
and
domination
in
the
American
 West.

In
fact,
most
of
his
practice
is
informed
through
the
problematic
existence
 of
histories
that
serve
as
artifacts
of
an
entire
society,
despite
the
obvious
omission
 of
immigrant,
minority,
and
lower
class
experiences.








 
 
 
 Figure
1.
Untitled
I
(After
Antico
[Pier
Jacopo
Alari‐Bonacosi],
Bust
of
a
Young
Man,
1520,
and
 
 Francis
Harwood,
Bust
of
a
Man,
1758)
(2010).

Ken
Gonzales‐Day
(b.
1964).


 
 Photographed
by
Gerard
Smulevich.

 
 Image
provided
by
the
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture.
 
 
 27
 In
Untitled
I
(After
Antico
[Pier
Jacopo
Alari‐Bonacosi],
Bust
of
a
Young
Man,
1520,
 and
Francis
Harwood,
Bust
of
a
Man,
1758)
Gonzales‐Day
presents
a
juxtaposition
 of
two
photographed
profiles
of
sculptural
male
busts
that
were
produced
 centuries
apart. 22 

The
figure
on
the
left
is
a
photographic
image
of
an
ideal
 neoclassic
sculpture
of
a
man
from
the
15th
century.

The
figure
on
the
right
is
a
 photograph
of
a
bust
of
an
African
man
from
the
17th
century.

The
two
sculptures
 face
one
another
from
both
sides
of
the
billboard.

Their
eyes
appear
locked
in
 engagement
as
each
confronts
the
other.

The
negative
space
between
both
 subjects
heightens
the
tension
in
this
scene.

 
 By
placing
both
of
these
busts
in
front
of
each
other,
Gonzales‐Day
creates
a
 moment
between
the
classic
and
the
contemporary.

Intentionally
allowing
both
 subjects
to
confront
each
other,
the
artist
has
orchestrated
a
scene
that
creates
 witnesses
out
of
the
audience.

The
use
of
narrative
is
the
most
powerful
element
 in
the
artwork.

The
scene
interpretively
represents
a
figure
from
an
institutional
 past
and
how
it
looks
against
or
towards
a
figure
representing
the
contemporary
 condition.

Or
rather,
it
is
a
scene
where
we
witness
how
a
modern
representation
 of
man
is
figuratively
looking
back
towards
a
historic
representation
that
seems
to
 be
reflective
of
what
the
contemporary
has
become.


 
 























































 22.
Nizan
Shaked,
“Ken
Gonzales‐Day,”
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
In
Stead,
(Los
Angeles:
The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
 Architecture,
2010),
42.
 
 28
 This
reflection
is,
however,
artificial
as
both
figures
are
captured
in
sculptural
 elements
that
make
them
appear
both
black
and
connected.

Even
as
both
subjects
 are
made
out
of
different
materials,
Gonzales‐Day
has
intensified
the
darkness
of
 both
the
bronze
that
was
used
for
Bust
of
a
Young
Man
and
the
black
stone
used
 for
Bust
of
a
Man.

The
dramatic
lighting
that
created
the
heavy
contrast
between
 the
subjects
and
background
also
conveys
a
sense
of
staging
that
historicizes
the
 subject
matter.

Figure
1
shows
how
the
photographed
image
of
the
piece
in
the
 exhibition
catalogue
also
enhances
how
the
piece
is
received.

Depending
on
 whether
the
image
is
represented
in
the
daytime
or
at
night,
the
drama
is
 increased
by
the
way
it
is
captured
within
its
environment.

 
 Gonzales‐Day
has
invoked
ideological
perceptions
of
human
identity
through
the
 selections
of
two
sculptural
pieces
from
the
Neoclassical
period
and
the
 Renaissance.

The
piece
suggests
his
interpretation
of
the
relationship
between
the
 influences
of
each
of
those
histories
in
time
and
their
present
impact
on
the
 current
history
unfolding.

The
work
reveals
a
dialogue
about
the
weight
of
 historical
reference
and
how
it
has
impacted
the
current
conditions
in
art
and
 public
space
today.


 
 Gonzales‐Day’s
piece
illustrates
how
institutionalized
histories
are
present
and
 interconnected
in
our
daily
experiences.

His
work
presents
a
societal
 
 29
 consciousness
through
the
juxtaposition
of
two
figures
that
symbolically
represent
 men
from
different
eras.

Without
any
extra
information
about
either
of
the
 subjects,
the
entire
scene
seems
to
reference
two
figures
from
two
different
social
 statuses.

The
confrontational
placement
of
both
subjects
leads
us
to
perceive
an
 oppositional
tone
that
overpowers
the
colors
used
to
connect
them.






 
 Through
the
work
of
multiple
artists’
the
MAK
Center
was
able
to
exhibit
various
 strategies
of
representation.

Gonzales‐Day’s
piece
stands
out
because
the
imagery
 not
only
interprets
his
point
of
view
as
an
artist,
but
also
presents
imagery
using
 the
same
manipulative
elements
that
are
used
within
commercial
advertising.

 Particularly,
the
way
the
subject
matter
is
staged
is
similar
to
how
commercial
 advertisements
present
a
product.

The
compositional
placement,
the
use
of
 dramatic
lighting,
and
the
exaggerated
contrast
between
dark
and
light
hues
 within
the
image
all
evoke
a
narrative
that
presents
a
scene.

In
actively
engaging
 the
language
of
mediated
space
without
resulting
in
commercial
promotion,
he
 effectively
demonstrates
the
opportunity
for
an
alternative
use
of
the
billboard
 space.

His
piece
represents
how
contemporary
art
has
manifested
itself
further
 into
another
form
and/or
practice.

The
subsistence
of
its
being
remains
because
of
 the
fluidity
of
what
it
can
actually
be.

Contemporary
art
exists
beyond
the
grasp
of
 those
who
are
constantly
trying
to
define
it
and
Gonzales‐Day’s
piece
represents
 
 30
 the
strength
of
conceptual
art
and
how
its
lack
of
definitive
medium
is
beneficial
 not
only
in
the
art
world
but
in
other
practices
as
well.

 
 Daniel
Joseph
Martinez’s
Billboard
 Daniel
Joseph
Martinez
(b.1957)
is
a
contemporary
artist
who
is
known
for
his
 controversial
work
that
engages
socially
concealed
issues
that
he
experienced
 while
growing
up
in
Los
Angeles
through
philosophical
and
theoretical
discourse.

 His
work
critically
responds
to
the
construction
of
a
collective
memory
based
on
 the
experience
of
the
majority,
which
he
laments
is
a
by‐product
of
Corporate
 America’s
manipulation
of
text
and
imagery. 23 


He
has
utilized
text,
photography,
 sculpture,
performance
and
other
media
to
create
pieces
that
are
driven
by
 concept
and
idea
as
opposed
to
utilizing
a
particular
medium
to
define
his
 practice.

His
work
is
usually
politically
charged
and/or
informed
by
issues
that
 engage
existing
institutional
norms.
Through
the
provocative
use
of
text
and
 museum
visitor
clips,
his
piece
at
1993
Whitney
Biennial
(I
Can’t
Imagine
Ever
 Wanting
to
Be
White)
remains
one
of
the
most
critical
of
his
works
to
date,
 because
of
how
he
exposed
public
space
and
how
it
is
inherently
shaped
by
 institutional
code.

Upon
entering
the
museum,
the
predominantly
Caucasian
 museum
visitors
pinned
the
clips
on
their
clothing
and
inadvertently
completed
 the
work
by
visibly
wearing
clips
that
are
“designed
to
embarrass
[the
museum
 























































 23.
Phong
Bui.
In
Conversation:
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez
with
Phong
Bui,
http://www.brooklynrail.org/2008/03/art/daniel‐ joseph‐martinez‐with‐phong‐bui,
(date
accessed
12
February
2011).
 
 31
 visitors]
for
who
they
are”
addressing
the
lack
of
racial
diversity
in
museum
 attendees
at
the
event. 24 
 
 
 
 
 Figure
2.
Untitled
(2010).
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez
(b.1957).

 
 Photographed
by
Gerard
Smulevich.
 
 In
the
How
Many
Billboards?
exhibition,
Martinez’s
collage
of
images
create
the
 provocative
narrative
on
the
billboard.

His
use
of
text
and
symbolic
references
 guide
the
work.

The
left
side
of
the
board
is
filled
with
bold
black
text
that
is
 justified
to
the
left
as
well.

The
text
reads:
“The
disappointment
of
a
fanatical
 























































 24.
John
Taylor,
“Mope
Art,”
New
York
Magazine
(March
22
1993),volume
26,
number
12,
16.
 Image
provided
by
the
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
Architecture.
 
 
 32
 searcher
of
the
truth,
who
saw
through
trickery
of
an
authoritarian
world
filled
 with
illusions.” 25 

A
military
aircraft
carrier
that
is
carrying
a
vessel
of
aircrafts
 while
afloat
on
an
ocean
is
vertically
toggled
on
the
right
portion
of
the
billboard.

 There
are
red
military
aircraft
aboard
the
vessel
and
the
exterior
design
of
the
ship
 alludes
to
the
Rainbow
Warrior
(Greenpeace’s
historic
sailing
vessel
that
was
 tragically
sunk
by
the
French).


 
 This
work’s
narrative
is
asserted
through
the
intentional
composition
of
text
and
 imagery.

In
reading
the
piece
from
the
right
side
of
billboard,
the
text
asserts
its
 prominence
over
the
imagery
as
the
reader
initially
encounters
the
plain
bold
text
 on
top
of
the
sky,
on
the
right
hand
side
of
the
board.

The
words
 “disappointment…
searcher…
truth…
trickery…
world…
illusions”
hanging
on
the
 left
side
of
the
text
remain
the
most
striking
because
of
their
placement
near
the
 center
of
the
billboard.

If
one
was
not
immediately
drawn
to
the
imagery
on
the
 left,
one
would
still
be
impacted
through
Martinez’s
use
of
words
and
placement.

 That
the
image
used
to
supplement
the
text
is
of
an
environmental
vessel
carrying
 military
aircraft
leads
the
viewer
to
speculate
that
this
work
can
only
be
a
critical
 examination
against
the
confidence
that
society
has
with
governing
bodies.
 
 























































 25.
Nizan
Shaked,
“Daniel
Joseph
Martinez,”
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
In
Stead,
(Los
Angeles:
The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
 Architecture,
2010),
66.
 
 33
 This
piece
remains
consistent
with
Martinez’s
practice
in
conceptualizing
ideas
 that
are
motivated
by
the
revelation
of
truth.

His
art
continues
to
creatively
re‐ interpret
institutionally
produced
representations
of
authority
(like
government
 and
political
entities)
so
that
omitted
versions
of
the
truth
are
uncovered
and
 prominently
displayed.

Similar
to
Gonzales‐Day’s
practice,
his
work
also
probes
 into
socially
masked
issues.

But
through
his
confrontational
use
of
text
along
with
 the
awkward
composition
of
subject
matter,
his
imagery
goes
beyond
its
projection
 onto
public
space.

Rather,
his
piece
instigates
a
recollection
of
the
Greenpeace
 event
as
it
includes
contextual
images
that
enhance
this
interpretation
of
his
 version
of
the
incident.

 
 Martinez
has
also
conveyed
a
specific
message
about
societal
conditions
and
 authority.

However
his
assemblage
of
images
and
text
is
presented
through
 historic
reference
to
images
that
are
manipulated
to
dramatize
existing
symbols
of
 nationalism
and
peace.

The
fact
that
he
has
rotated
the
ship
and
its
contents
 ninety
degrees
south
indicates
a
symbolic
discontent.

The
imagery
is
about
 revelation.

The
subject
matter
exists,
but
is
not
presented
in
its
normal
form.

The
 theatrical
endeavor
of
this
image
is
constructed
to
be
informational.

Through
 Martinez’s
irregular
presentation
of
the
ship,
the
image
suggests
a
narrative
about
 societal
conditions
that
are
masked
or
misleading.

 
 
 34
 Through
the
use
of
billboards,
Martinez’s
image
provides
an
outlet
for
 contemplation
and
eventual
revelation
about
national
and
political
issues
that
are
 not
usually
addressed
or
are
deceptively
interpreted
on
mediated
space.

In
this
 way,
he
has
utilized
the
medium
as
a
space
to
present
the
alternative
to
 commercial
imagery:
factual
enlightenment.

He
has
presented
a
highly
politicized
 issue
with
an
oppositional
stance
and
has
occupied
the
space
as
a
window
for
 cultural
reflection.

The
image
is
about
society
and
Martinez
has
used
this
space
to
 expose
this
version
of
the
truth.


 
 Martinez’s
work
is
crucial
in
understanding
contemporary
art
today.

As
the
 practice
of
art
has
extended
past
the
walls
of
institutions
and
private
collections
it
 is
still
far
from
being
completely
removed
from
the
aesthetic
and
technical
criteria
 that
defined
modern
art.

The
definition
of
contemporary
art
is
more
ambiguous
 with
the
evolution
of
practices
that
are
informed
and
driven
by
intellectual
 interrogation
of
theories
and
the
hidden
realities
of
the
world.

The
insistent
 method
of
attacking
controversial
issues
through
provocative
and
blatant
use
of
 subject
matter
makes
Martinez’s
work
in
the
exhibition
essential
in
considering
 the
confrontational
narrative
of
his
piece.

His
use
of
bold
text
conveys
a
sense
of
 protest
similar
to
the
bold
graphic
texts
that
dominate
picket
signs
and
posters
 used
for
social
demonstrations.




 
 
 35
 Martinez’s
piece
establishes
an
alternate
function
for
the
billboard
as
an
extended
 space
for
cultural
production
(and/or
revelation).

Because
his
art
has
transformed
 the
traditional
use
of
space,
the
billboard’s
potential
as
art
infrastructure
in
an
 urban
setting,
is
also
a
possibility.

His
work
responds
to
commercial
advertising’s
 ideological
constructions
of
society
by
presenting
a
counter
installation
of
a
 historically
represented
political
conflict.

By
placing
a
symbol
of
national
defense
 (the
military
aircraft)
in
an
awkward
manner,
he
indicates
that
the
work
intends
to
 expose
or
criticize
the
United
States’
role
in
the
Greenpeace
event.

His
work
 effectively
demonstrates
how
the
billboard
is
a
critical
element
in
urban
space,
 whether
it
is
used
to
present
or
expose
the
truth.

In
utilizing
the
space
for
art,
the
 value
of
the
space
is
even
more
significant
in
its
ability
to
project
these
types
of
 messages
to
a
massive
amount
of
people.


 
 36
 Chapter
2.
Historical
Advertising
Campaigns
and
Identity
Construction.

 
 The
Function
of
Commercial
Advertisements
 Urban
historian
M.
Christine
Boyer
wrote
about
the
dynamics
of
the
figured
city
 and
the
disfigured
city
in
her
essay
from
Helen
Liggett
and
David
C.
Perry’s
book
 “Spatial
Practices:
Critical
Explorations
in
Social/Spatial
Theory.”

Her
analysis
of
 urban
spatial
restructuring
provides
a
platform
to
discuss
the
social
implications
of
 the
physical
organization
of
urban
cities.

In
her
description,
the
‘figured’
city
is
a
 place
that
is
idealized
and
promoted
as
the
main
image
of
what
the
city
strives
to
 be.

The
rest
of
the
city
that
is
not
glamorized
or
functional
exists
as
the
 ‘disfigured’
part
of
the
city. 26 

The
billboard
is
included
in
the
space
of
the
figured
 city
and
the
MAK
Center
exhibition
utilized
its
history
and
potential
for
 constructing
social
identity
as
a
platform
for
an
intervention
that
disrupted
the
 fabricated
vision
that
is
misleadingly
perceived
as
the
actual
identity
of
the
city.

 The
art
installed
acts
as
a
window
to
expose
images
that
are
not
necessarily
 promoting
the
city,
but
are
projecting
missing
stories
that
are
very
much
a
part
of
 the
whole.

The
complex
history
of
billboard
use
in
Los
Angeles
is
significant
 because
of
how
visual
projections
have
influenced
consumers
through
the
use
of
 commercial
advertisements.

The
marketing
industry
knows
this
and
has
used
it
to
 























































 26.
M.
Christine
Boyer,
“The
Great
Frame‐Up:
Fantastic
Appearances
in
Contemporary
Spatial
Politics,”
Spatial
Practices:
 Critical
Explorations
in
Social/Spatial
Theory,
(Thousand
Oaks:
Sage
Publications,
1995),
81‐107.
 
 37
 their
advantage,
which
in
turn
has
propelled
the
abundance
of
billboards
within
 outdoor
spaces
in
cities.


 
 Boyer’s
concept
identified
two
polar
territories
that
have
resulted
from
the
 intentional
construction
of
urban
space.

Particularly
through
redevelopment
 efforts
of
architects,
urban
designers,
and
municipal
administrators,
the
physical
 structures
in
urban
space
have
been
organized
to
create
a
public
realm
of
function
 and
order.

As
exemplified
by
the
unitary
grid
of
major
and
arterial
streets
that
 organize
the
flow
of
vehicular
traffic
and
concentration
of
buildings
in
Downtown
 Los
Angeles,
this
realm
is
meant
for
the
majority
of
the
public
to
be
able
to
co‐exist
 in
a
more
efficient
and
productive
manner.

Here,
the
aesthetics
of
architecture
 and
coordinated
infrastructure
are
meant
to
provide
an
environment
that
seeks
 not
only
to
create
a
sense
of
cohesive
and
structured
place,
but
also
a
unitary
 realm
where
public
activities
are
invited.

It
is
in
the
“figured”
city
where
 innovation
and
technology
can
occur. 27 

As
major
cities
continue
with
the
cycle
of
 redeveloping
areas
into
what
planners
consider
a
more
efficient
use
of
public
space
 (as
opposed
to
the
continued
use
of
space
that
disintegrates
public
infrastructure
 and
breeds
conditions
that
lead
to
and
sustain
poverty),
only
specific
types
of
 people
are
invited
to
congregate
and
transact
in
the
newly
developed
places.


 These
desired
people
of
middle
or
high
economic
status
(that
constitute
the
public
 























































 27.
M.
Christine
Boyer,
82.
 
 38
 when
referencing
public
spaces)
automatically
assume
the
promise
of
security
and
 identity
that
are
built
into
the
redevelopment
package
of
well‐designed,
organized
 streets
and
structures.

Commercial
advertisements
have
not
only
been
utilized
to
 promote
goods
and
services,
but
have
also
played
a
significant
role
in
idealizing
 the
consumers
that
use
the
products.





 
 Manuel
Castells
is
also
wary
that
this
same
hyper‐development
of
urban
spaces
is
 also
catering
to
the
growth
of
the
information
age
and
the
network
society.

In
 response
to
globalizing
and
technological
shifts
in
industry,
the
spatial
 development
of
urban
cities
caters
not
only
toward
strategic
economic
success
but
 also
strategic
social
expansion
as
well.

Restructured
organization
of
urban
spaces
 not
only
reconfigures
the
physical
layout
of
urban
form
to
a
more
efficient
use,
but
 the
users
are
also
produced
and
defined
by
the
new
environment
that
replaced
the
 ‘dysfunctional’
old
sites.
 
 Both
Boyer
and
Castells
concur
that
because
these
formal
spaces
in
the
urban
 realm
are
meant
for
an
ideal
elite
society
(also
known
as
the
public)
that
is
 produced
from
the
typology
of
functional
urban
form,
ultimately
the
latter
is
a
 product
from
this
same
effort.

Because
the
formal
public
spaces
invite
specific
 types
of
user
groups,
other
groups
are
excluded
and,
by
default,
become
 categorized
as
the
other.

It
is
through
this
reality
that
we
realize
that
public
space
 
 39
 is
designated
for
a
specific
group
and
not
inclusive
of
the
whole
society.

The
 externalities
of
redevelopment
are
a
critical
element
in
analyzing
the
effectiveness
 of
the
exhibition
because
the
artists
projected
imagery
that
revealed
a
publically
 suppressed
consciousness
that
is
not
typically
projected
on
a
massive
scale.



 
 Historic
Advertising
Strategies
also
Deployed
by
Artists
 Traditionally,
the
billboard
has
been
used
as
a
mechanism
to
project
commercial
 advertisements
onto
public
space.

How
art
can
effectively
function
on
a
billboard
 in
city
space
is
tied
to
its
historic
and
commercial
use.

Even
as
the
MAK
Center
 exhibited
art,
a
strong
presence
of
techniques
deployed
by
commercial
 advertisements
was
very
apparent
within
the
entire
exhibition.

The
use
of
 photographic
manipulation
was
obvious
throughout
the
various
selected
works.
 Two
such
examples
are
Kerry
Tribe’s
dramatic
presentation
of
clouds
and
Kori
 Newkirk’s
cropped
and
centered
close‐up
of
a
man
with
a
snowball
in
his
mouth.

 The
strategy
of
appropriating
subjects
to
convey
compelling
and
educational
 narratives
was
a
method
intentionally
deployed
by
both
artists
(along
with
 Gonzales‐Day)
as
they
interpreted
their
chosen
subject
matter
through
the
lens
of
 photography.

Through
the
juxtaposition
of
specific
images
that
were
formulated
 to
conceive
a
particular
identity
for
commercial
brands,
the
artists
have
used
the
 same
approach
in
producing
a
narrative
that
presents
their
interpretation
of
 specific
issues
dealing
with
race,
gender,
and
mediated
political
events.

Michael
 
 40
 Asher
more
forwardly
engages
the
idea
of
how
commercial
advertisements
shape
 consumer
thought
by
using
his
billboard
space
to
present
a
re‐interpretation
of
a
 Volkswagen
ad
from
1962. 28 

The
sign
value
of
the
subjects
that
these
artists
chose
 to
present
transformed
how
those
signified
icons
were
originally
perceived.

 Gonzales‐Day
and
Martinez’s
work
is
compelling
because
of
how
they
were
both
 able
to
take
advantage
of
this
type
of
strategic
construction
of
imagery
to
create
 their
own
vision
and
story.

 
 Gonzales‐Day’s
work
utilizes
photography
in
the
same
fashion
of
which
Boyer
was
 critical.

In
his
work,
photography
is
used
to
create
an
illusion
that
exposes
its
 audience
to
imagery
comprised
of
visually
constructed
subjects
that
present
a
 certain
type
of
narrative.

Gonzales‐Day’s
understanding
of
the
medium
of
 photography
is
apparent
in
his
intentional
placement
of
objects,
composition
 layout
of
subject
matter,
and
theatrical
staging
of
the
two
busts.

As
contemporary
 advertisements
have
filtered
subjects
to
signify
or
symbolize
specific
values,
 objects,
and
affiliations,
the
appearance
of
urban
space
has
been
transformed
into
 an
arena
of
constant
visual
appropriation.

This
is
especially
significant
in
Los
 Angeles,
where
the
billboard
is
as
iconic
as
the
palm
tree.

The
societal
effect
of
 advertisements
on
billboards
is
problematic
because
of
their
physical
dominance
 in
the
public
realm.

Signage
using
different
types
of
mediums
can
be
found
all
 























































 28.
Kimberli
Meyer,
“Michael
Asher,”
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
In
Stead,
(Los
Angeles:
The
MAK
Center
for
Art
and
 Architecture,
2010),
26.
 
 41
 around
urban
and
suburban
spaces,
but
none
command
the
type
of
attention
that
 billboards
draw.

By
creating
artwork
using
the
same
mechanism
that
is
commonly
 also
used
in
commercial
advertising,
Gonzales‐Day’s
imagery
has
quietly
and
 seamlessly
transformed
the
space
without
waging
war.
 
 Construction
of
City
Identity

 “Contemporary
ads
operate
on
the
premise
that
signifiers
and
signifieds
that
have
been
removed
from
 context
can
be
rejoined
to
other
similarly
abstracted
signifiers
and
signifieds
to
build
new
signs
of
 identity.” 29 
 
 Strategic
composition
of
imagery
as
a
means
to
model
public
behavior
and
identity
 is
not
an
innovative
idea
born
out
of
commercial
advertising
on
billboards.

The
 practice
of
producing
and
influencing
social
consciousness
through
visual
imagery
 is
evident
in
other
mediums
of
art
as
well.

As
early
as
the
beginning
of
the
20 th 
 century,
German‐Jewish
critic,
Walter
Benjamin
had
observed
how
constructed
 imagery
assumed
idealized
representations
of
middle
and
wealthy
class
societies.

 In
Benjamin’s
writings
(from
the
1920s
in
particular),
he
marks
the
dangers
of
 photography
with
the
invention
of
the
panorama. 30 

The
practice
of
replicating
real
 life
scenes
on
large‐scale
paintings
indicate
that
the
manipulative
capacities
of
 photography
were
already
skills
that
artists
were
taking
advantage
of
way
before
its
 more
wide‐spread
industry
use.


 























































 29.
Robert
Goldman
and
Stephen
Papson,
Advertising
in
the
Age
of
Accelerated
Meaning,
(New
York:
The
New
Press,
1996),
 84.
 30.
Walter
Benjamin
(translated
by
Howard
Eiland
and
Kevin
McLaughlin),
“Paris,
the
Capital
of
the
Nineteenth
Century,”
 The
Arcades
Project,
(Cambridge
and
London:
The
Belknap
Press,
2002).
 
 42
 
 Thus,
the
advancements
of
photographic
technology
(in
the
field
of
visual
 representation)
only
encouraged
the
practice
of
producing
desired
imaginaries
 through
embellished
realities.

This
critical
shift
in
art
production
marks
how
 photographs
had
transformed
the
art
and
size
of
traditional
paintings
into
the
life
 sized
and
extensively
detailed
panoramas
that
(despite
the
continued
use
of
 traditional
paint
and
ink)
were
convincingly
more
accurate
reflections
of
the
real
 world.

Artists
were
capturing
isolated
sections
of
their
selected
subjects
and
 seaming
the
series
of
photographs
together
to
create
a
single
unified
product.

This
 technique
enabled
artists
to
more
accurately
illustrate
life‐like
details
in
their
 work,
as
well
as
extend
the
view
of
the
subject
matter
outside
of
a
singular
frame.

 The
popularity
and
substantial
history
of
commissioned
panoramas
in
the
United
 States
suggests
that
large‐scale
imagery
was
a
public
phenomenon
that
had
 initially
been
a
medium
for
artwork. 31 


Benjamin’s
critique
of
the
illusory
nature
of
 panoramas
foreshadows
the
detrimental
impact
of
visual
technology
on
public
 identity
through
photography.

Even
as
he
observes
that
the
functional
aspects
of
 capturing
photographic
imagery
bring
benefits
of
heightened
discovery,
he
is
more
 apprehensive
of
its
deceptive
nature.


 
 























































 31.
Stephan
Oettermann,
Technical
Features
of
the
Panorama
and
Its
Offshoots,
(New
York:
Urzone,
Inc.,
1997),
49‐98.
 
 
 43
 Like
Castells’
description
of
the
post‐war
era,
Benjamin
is
aware
of
how
the
elite
 domination
of
technology
influences
how
the
rest
of
society
perceives
itself
at
an
 even
earlier
moment.


Benjamin’s
observations
of
panoramas
and
photographs
 reveal
his
criticism
of
institutionalized
images
(like
commissioned
modern
artwork
 that
are
preserved
within
the
walls
of
museums
and
collected
by
the
wealthy
 class).


He
specifies
how
the
realistic
quality
of
photography
is
dangerous
because
 of
the
heightened
perception
of
reality
that
is
produced
through
the
 photographer’s
intentional
composition
and
personal
selection
of
subject
matter.

 Through
photography,
the
vulnerability
of
society
is
increased
as
it
is
subjected
to
 mass‐produced
images
of
places
and
things
that
are
“deceptively
lifelike”
and
are
 perceived
as
authentic
representations
of
what
they
are
beholding. 32 










 
 The
function
of
billboards
in
the
urban
realm
is
extremely
significant
because
of
its
 role
in
promoting
and
shaping
the
city
of
Los
Angeles
during
the
later
half
of
this
 century.

As
early
as
1851,
records
show
that
the
momentum
of
the
Gold
Rush
 (1848‐1855)
prompted
a
real
estate
agent
from
Brooklyn,
New
York
to
commission
 a
panorama
of
California
with
the
hopes
encouraging
people
to
move
and
settle
in
 the
state. 33 

Soon
after
the
era
of
the
panorama,
the
appropriation
of
urban
imagery
 continued
to
manifest
itself
as
a
strategy
utilized
by
advertising
companies
to
 























































 32.
Walter
Benjamin
5.

 33.
 Stephan
Oetterman,
325.

 
 44
 create
imagery
for
promotional
or
informational
posters. 34 

The
practice
of
outdoor
 advertising
began
as
early
as
the
1900s,
when
large
imagery
promoting
patent
 medicines,
traveling
circuses,
theatrical
troupes
and
boxing
matches
were
installed
 in
various
cities
where
the
events
were
going
to
be
held
or
where
the
products
 were
going
to
be
sold. 35 

The
marketing
techniques
used
to
sell
the
images
of
the
 medicines
compelled
consumers
to
purchase
a
product
through
subliminal
 messaging
that
was
built
into
the
narratives
of
each
ad.

Politicians
and
 corporations
soon
capitalized
on
this
method
of
public
persuasion
and
started
to
 utilize
outdoor
advertising
to
sell
political
campaigns
and
places.

The
exhibition
 of
art
on
billboards
in
Los
Angeles
pays
homage
to
the
historic
role
of
the
 structure.

Because
the
commercial
function
of
the
billboard
has
reached
a
 contentious
peak
regarding
its
continued
use,
How
Many
Billboards?
became
an
 opportunity
to
demonstrate
the
strength
of
the
existing
system
of
edifices
on
social
 psychology
and
how
altering
its
use
can
ultimately
change
how
it
functions
and
 supports
the
city
of
Los
Angeles.




 
 The
boosterism
of
the
city
of
Los
Angeles
is
particularly
critical
in
the
history
of
 outdoor
media
and
why
it
continues
to
proliferate
today
because
of
how
the
birth
 of
the
automobile
coincided
with
(and
enabled)
the
growth
of
billboards
within
 the
city’s
landscape.

Because
the
automobile
literally
promoted
a
sense
of
mobile
 























































 34.
Sally
Henderson
&
Robert
Landau,
Billboard
Art,
(San
Francisco:
Chronicle
Books,
1980),
15.
 35.
Sally
Henderson
&
Robert
Landau,
13.
 
 45
 autonomy
and
encouraged
(and
also
enabled)
individual
travel,
the
advertising
 efforts
of
corporations
responded
to
the
anticipated
increase
in
commuters
and
 focused
heavily
on
promoting
items
along
highly
trafficked
roads.

In
1915,
Cadillac
 had
released
the
ad
campaign
“The
Penalty
of
Leadership”
that
transformed
how
 people
would
think
about
the
products
through
media
ads
and
why
they
should
 purchase
specific
brands. 36 

Instead
of
influencing
sales
through
the
quality
of
the
 product,
the
advertisements
targeted
the
identity
of
the
consumer.

This
 breakthrough
in
psychological
influence
of
goods
continues
to
fuel
the
sales
of
 automobiles
today.


The
increased
use
of
such
a
powerful
tool
in
such
a
pivotal
 time
in
American
urban
development
explains
how
influential
the
field
of
visual
 representation
was
(and
still
is)
and
how
the
billboard
actually
reinforced
the
 interests
of
the
elite
(which
were
commercial
advertisers,
political
powers,
urban
 planners,
and
real
estate
developers)
and
inspired
the
rest
of
society
into
becoming
 who
the
elite
envisioned
them
to
be.

 
 The
tourism
and
real
estate
industries
also
affected
Los
Angeles
because
of
the
 marketing
strategies
used
to
attract
investors
and
visitors
to
the
city. 37 

And
in
the
 same
spirit
of
panoramas,
promotional
efforts
were
filtered
and
usually
marketed
 the
fantasy
of
living
under
the
warmth
of
the
state.

The
harsh
realities
of
 























































 36.
Sally
Henderson
&
Robert
Landau,
19.
 37.
Norman
Klein,
The
History
of
Forgetting,
(New
York:
Verso,
2008),
33.

Brochures
from
1910
that
promoted
Los
Angeles’
 sunny,
clean,
and
fragrant
climate
intentionally
masked
the
city’s
infrastructural
problems
(like
a
subpar
irrigation
system
 that
could
not
support
60,000
people).

Conditions
such
as
the
dirty
water
were
well
known
to
frequent
travelers
at
the
time.

 
 46
 economic
and
physical
hardship
were
omitted
and
the
edited
constructions
of
text,
 media,
and
imagery
built
upon
a
grand
vision
of
all
the
promise
and
opportunity
 that
Los
Angeles
was
supposed
to
be.

The
city
was
idealized
as
a
vehicle
of
growth
 physically
and
economically.

 
 The
history
of
constructed
narratives
on
large
scale
imagery
and
the
exploitation
of
 photographed
subject
matter
in
the
public
realm
links
how
the
function
of
 panoramas
in
the
19 th 
century
has
evolved
into
how
the
billboard
continues
to
 function
in
modern
city
space.

If
the
panorama
exposed
the
looming
possibilities
 of
photography,
then
the
billboard
solidified
its
practice.

As
photographic
 manipulation
remains
a
common
method
of
visual
representation
projected
from
 billboards,
Gonzales‐Day
and
Martinez
have
challenged
the
elite
by
using
 photography
in
the
same
way
that
commercial
advertisements
have
deployed
 imagery.

The
images
produced
by
both
artists
are
compelling
because
of
how
they
 have
manipulated
the
exploitation
of
traditional
commercial
advertisements
and
 have
used
the
same
mechanism
to
insert
hidden
realities
of
‘other’
publics
onto
 public
space.

In
placing
specific
subject
matter
(that
already
represented
 something
on
their
own)
with
other
known
symbols,
the
signified
object
generates
 new
meaning
as
it
is
re‐appropriated
and
presented
with
other
objects
that
have
 their
own
subtext.


By
using
the
images
of
the
neoclassical
bust
of
a
man
and
 Greenpeace’s
logo,
both
artists
have
conceivably
found
a
way
to
include
the
dis‐ 
 47
 figured
city
in
the
realm
of
the
figured
through
re‐contextualizing
known
symbols
 with
other
symbols
and
devices.
 
 
 
 
 48
 Chapter
3.
Art
instead?
Or
as
Subversive
Intervention?

 
 Manuel
Castells:
the
Network
Society
and
the
Space
of
Flows
 
 “The
space
of
power
and
wealth
is
projected
throughout
the
world,
while
people’s
life
and
experience
is
 rooted
in
places,
in
their
culture,
in
their
history.” 38 
 
 The
logic
of
the
overall
exhibition
framework
is
extremely
applicable
to
social
 theorist
Manuel
Castells’
observation
of
the
manifestation
of
the
informational
 society
in
the
21 st 
century.

In
the
midst
of
the
hyper‐development
of
urban
cities
 and
the
social
domination
of
an
elite
class
of
people
(comprised
of
outdoor
 advertising
companies,
decision‐makers
in
the
public
sector,
real
estate
 developers,
and
wealthy
class)
his
analysis
of
the
structured
networks
that
have
 built
a
globally
interconnected
community
represents
where
the
majority
of
 society
is
going,
despite
the
fact
that
this
class
is
extremely
exclusive
of
people
who
 have
access
to
technology.

In
the
city,
the
elite
symbolize
those
that
have
 influentially
helped
to
shape
the
consumer‐driven
conditions
that
drive
Los
 Angeles.

Socially,
these
specific
groups
of
people
dominate
as
the
elite
of
the
city
 because
it
caters
to
their
interests
and
needs.

In
this
context,
the
elite
are
also
 included
in
who
the
public
is,
along
with
consumer
groups
who
are
also
the
 audience
that
commercial
advertisements
target.

 
 Castells
is
particularly
ambivalent
in
conceptualizing
the
role
of
the
space
of
flows
 as
an
integral
component
that
enables
the
networks
of
the
elite
to
interact
and
 























































 38.
Manuel
Castells,
(1996),
415‐416.

 
 49
 coordinate
globally.

It
is
through
the
existence
of
these
spaces
that
the
interests
of
 “personal
micro‐networks”
are
relayed
to
inform
“functional
macro‐networks.” 39 

 He
also
attributes
that
the
space
of
flows
has
perpetuated
the
growing
polarization
 of
local
and
authentically
historic
traditions
that
characterize
people,
thereby
 enabling
an
“ahistorical”
society
to
flourish
and
replicate
around
the
world. 40 

This
 concept
of
the
imitation
of
place
is
particularly
evident
in
the
aesthetic
and
 functional
qualities
of
the
popular
commercial
developments
of
Rick
Caruso.

His
 residential
and
outdoor
retail
properties
that
are
modeled
after
the
Grove
(which
is
 one
of
his
more
successful
projects)
have
slowly
begun
to
sprout
within
a
few
miles
 of
each
other
in
Los
Angeles.

Capitalizing
on
the
kitsch
of
the
outdoor
village‐like
 shopping
experience,
he
has
completed
another
development
project
called
 ‘Americana’
located
in
the
city
of
Glendale.

Soon,
a
third
outdoor
retail
village
will
 be
complete
in
the
city
of
Arcadia,
which
is
just
a
few
miles
east
of
Glendale.


The
 multiplication
of
inauthentic
spaces
that
exist
as
places
in
major
metropolitan
 cities
are
what
Castells
cautions
is
the
direction
of
the
future.
 
 The
space
of
flows
is
seemingly
interpreted
as
the
mediating
device
for
which
the
 mass
public
receives
messages.

In
this
light,
the
exhibition
of
art
on
billboards
in
 Los
Angeles
is
significant
because
the
traditional
billboard
has
primarily
projected
 imagery
of
strategic
marketing
campaigns
meant
to
coerce
consumers
into
 























































 39.
Manuel
Castells,
(1996),
416.

 40.
Manuel
Castells,
(1996),
428.

 
 50
 purchasing
goods
and
services.

In
analyzing
what
the
function
of
the
billboard
is
 in
the
public
realm,
exhibiting
art
on
this
space
seems
like
the
highly
anticipated
 social
intervention
that
groups
outside
of
the
elite
had
been
waiting
for.


 
 The
artists
involved
in
the
MAK
Center
exhibition
and
related
public
programs

 were
intentionally
selected
because
of
their
established
reputation
for
producing
 critical
work
that
could
be
contextualized
within
the
history
of
conceptual
art.

 Gonzales‐Day
and
Martinez’s
pieces
were
particularly
intriguing
because
of
their
 use
of
photography.

In
reconstructing
meaning
through
the
manipulation
of
 existing
symbols,
the
pieces
seem
to
project
a
different
image
than
ads
that
are
 usually
displayed.

Instead
of
presenting
an
image
meant
to
attract
consumers,
the
 function
of
the
billboard
was
altered
through
this
intervention
because
of
the
 heightened
awareness
of
constructed
identity
produced
by
the
artwork.

The
 artists
deployed
the
same
visual
strategy
of
advertisements
through
the
use
of
 familiar
signified
materials.

However,
they
were
able
to
produce
an
image
without
 commercial
value
or
promotion
of
a
product.

Instead
both
artists
produced
an
 idea
and
left
it
at
that.
 
 The
Bridge
 Even
as
Castells
has
critically
identified
the
oppositional
forces
at
play,
he
does
 propose
an
alternative
that
allows
for
the
possibility
of
change.

In
describing
the
 
 51
 space
of
flows,
he
also
recognizes
the
need
for
a
“physical
bridge”
to
link
the
 cultural
practices
of
local
people
with
the
globalizing
practices
of
the
dominant
 elite. 41 
 
 His
assessment
is
useful
because
he
does
not
condemn
how
society
is
being
 shaped.

Rather,
his
observations
offer
a
refreshing
perspective
on
an
age‐old
 problem:
the
stratification
of
society
through
physical
development
in
the
urban
 realm.

As
many
theorists
merely
reveal
the
social
externalities
of
urban
 restructuring,
Castells
offers
a
critical
component
of
intervention
that
must
be
 addressed.

The
social
sphere
must
be
involved
for
any
chance
of
success
in
 continued
urban
development.



 
 In
identifying
the
need
for
a
bridge,
Castells’
critique
of
the
influences
of
urban
 spatial
patterns
on
society
then
becomes
a
cautionary
endeavor
that
is
simply
his
 observation.

His
analysis
foreshadows
where
society
can
go,
but
does
not
serve
as
 a
definite
prediction
of
things
to
come.

However,
recognizing
that
a
bridge
can
 exist
does
not
also
mean
that
it
will
necessarily
mitigate
the
current
dilemma.

It
is
 this
function
of
opportunity
that
marks
the
significance
of
the
exhibition.


 
 























































 41.
Manuel
Castells,
(1996),
428.

 
 52
 In
an
urban
metropolis
like
Los
Angeles,
the
dominance
of
the
elite
is
indicative
of
 the
continuous
redevelopment
of
the
built
environment
boasting
of
famous
 architecture,
endless
infrastructural
pathways,
and
the
implantation
of
foreign
 non‐indigenous
(but
aesthetically
pleasing)
vegetation.

Meanwhile,
the
evolution
 of
urban
form
is
also
infused
with
directional
visual
enhancements
that
pepper
the
 environment
with
regulatory,
entrepreneurial,
and
consumer‐based
signage.

The
 overwhelming
aesthetic
mixtures
that
make
up
the
city
of
Los
Angeles
are
 emblematic
of
what
Castells
is
concerned
about.

The
exhibition
of
art
essentially
 punctured
the
structured
bubble
that
is
the
city.






 
 53
 Conclusion.
 The
billboard
has
been
characterized
as
a
structural
nuisance,
and
yet
it
remains
 highly
valued
for
its
ability
to
efficiently
perform
as
a
promotional
platform
for
 private
interests.


Depending
on
which
part
of
society
is
describing
it,
the
edifice
 has
been
a
contributing
factor
to
the
degradation
of
communities
by
cluttering
the
 visual
landscape.

And
yet
the
outdoor
advertising
industry
also
remains
a
viable
 economic
generator
that
supports
business
and
social
voice
especially
in
a
 recession,
which
occured
just
prior
to
the
start
of
the
MAK
Center’s
exhibition.

 While
these
polarizing
views
do
not
necessarily
lock
down
the
actual
role
of
the
 billboard,
they
do
reinforce
the
fact
that
the
structure
does
impact
space
and
 people
in
a
significant
way
both
directly
and
through
more
diffuse
elements.

The
 predominance
of
billboards,
supergraphics,
and
other
forms
of
outdoor
advertising
 within
the
landscape
of
Los
Angeles
has
tremendously
influenced
the
social
 identity
of
the
city.

Commercial
imagery
continues
to
dominate
the
outdoor
 spaces
surrounding
major
landmarks
and
highly
trafficked
places
throughout
the
 city
and
still
reinforces
the
fantasy
of
being
an
upwardly
mobile
society
(where
 one’s
social
status
is
demarcated
by
luxury
goods.)

Through
the
inclusion
of
artists
 such
as
Michael
Asher,
David
Lamelas,
Allen
Ruppersberg,
Yvonne
Rainer,
and
 Martha
Rosler
who
were
all
active
in
establishing
conceptualisms
various
strains,
 the
MAK
Center’s
exhibition
of
How
Many
Billboards?:
Art
in
Stead
demonstrates
 how
influential
conceptual
art
strategies
such
as
the
use
of
language,
publicity
and
 
 54
 media
from
the
1960’s
remains
in
the
present.

More
significantly,
the
exhibition’s
 focus
on
critical
art
practices
is
a
testament
to
the
fact
that
contemporary
art
 practices
in
the
public
realm
can
transform
how
society
sees
itself
through
imagery
 that
aims
to
educate
rather
than
promote.
 
 The
act
of
replacing
typical
advertising
with
works
by
selected
artists
in
Los
 Angeles
was
a
critical
event
that
transformed
the
city
by
creatively
redefining
how
 the
billboard’s
occupation
of
public
space
could
be
utilized.

In
changing
the
use
of
 the
billboard
to
project
imagery
that
presented
realities
intentionally
masked
by
 commercial
media,
another
perspective
was
able
to
come
forward
and
confront
the
 social
consciousness
of
a
hyper‐mediated
consumer
realm,
otherwise
known
as
the
 public.

 
 The
billboards
produced
by
Ken
Gonzales‐Day
and
Daniel
Joseph
Martinez
in
 particular,
were
emblematic
of
how
the
entire
exhibition
intervened
more
 generally.

Both
artists
utilized
the
medium
of
photography
to
create
imagery
that
 conveyed
their
message.

By
strategically
composing
their
subject
matter
similar
to
 how
imagery
is
constructed
in
commercial
advertisements,
the
artists
were
able
to
 subversively
deploy
images
that
are
not
socially
confronted
or
collectively
 discussed
within
the
space
of
the
public.

The
significance
of
this
exhibition
in
Los
 Angeles
is
contextualized
within
what
urban
theorist
Manuel
Castells
has
defined
 
 55
 as
a
physical
bridge.

By
exhibiting
art
on
mediated
space,
the
billboard
has
 become
symbolic
of
what
Castells
says
can
link
the
domination
of
technology
and
 spatial
development
back
to
the
people.

 
 The

enduring
relevancy
of
conceptual
art
practices
in
the
1960’s
within
the
current
 moment
is
evident
as
more
art
is
exhibited
on
mediated
spaces
locally
and
across
 the
country.

Inviting
artists
to
experiment
with
other
mediated
spaces
signals
the
 more
diffuse
ways
that
contemporary
art
is
moving.

Since
the
exhibition,
other
 major
cities
are
commissioning
artists
to
display
temporary
work
in
other
media
 platforms
within
the
city,
such
as
artwork
on
taxi‐cab
toppers
in
New
York. 42 


This
 exhibition
of
art
on
billboards
created
a
statement
about
the
presence
of
imagery
 and
aesthetics
that
are
interwoven
into
how
we
experience
the
built
environment
 in
the
city.

The
MAK
Center
achieved
a
tremendous
feat
in
forging
partnerships
 with
the
property
owners
in
exhibiting
the
show
that
included
twenty‐one
 different
ways
to
use
the
space.

The
willingness
of
outdoor
media
groups
to
 collaborate
with
an
art
institution
is,
in
and
of
itself,
symbolic
of
the
changing
tide
 in
how
public
space
will
look. 43 

One
might
speculate
that
the
ephemeral
nature
of
 this
partnership
suggests
that
there
were
not
any
lasting
impressions
on
the
 locality
or
identity
of
Los
Angeles
at
all.

However,
within
a
year
of
the
exhibition’s
 























































 42.
Priya
Rao,
“Hailing
Artworks
on
the
Avenue,”
The
Wallstreet
Journal
Online,
 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704739504576067992747856436.html?mod=googlenews_wsj,
(date
accessed
 8
January
2011).
 43.
Currently,
a
Los
Angeles
non‐profit
art
gallery,
LA><ART,
curates
various
shows
on
one
billboard
atop
of
its
gallery.

And
 likewise,
Metro
(the
Los
Angeles
County
Metropolitan
Transportation
Authority)
also
exhibits
a
temporary
neighborhood
 art
poster
program
on
its
rail
and
bus
poster
spaces
within
all
of
its
transit
lines.
 
 56
 de‐installation,
another
temporary
art
exhibition
has
borrowed
five
billboard
 spaces
in
Los
Angeles. 44 



On
December
2010‐January
2011,
artist
Jon
Jackson
 partnered
with
CBS
Outdoor
Media
to
exhibit
different
works
on
five
billboard
 spaces
in
Los
Angeles.

The
imagery,
curatorial
direction,
and
logistics
have
 changed.

However,
one
thing
remains
clear.

The
function
of
art
on
mediated
 space
has
become
a
concept
that
some
media
groups
have
welcomed.

It
seems
 that
corporate
identity
and
art
association
is
still
a
relevant
business
partnership
 that,
if
anything,
continues
to
create
opportunities
for
more
art
experiments
and
 experiences.
 























































 44.
Jon
Jackson,
Adios
LA,
http://www.adiosla.com/
(date
accessed
8
January
2011).
 
 
 57
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Abstract (if available)
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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses 
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Asset Metadata
Creator Adao, Aurea (author) 
Core Title Art on billboard space: Subversive intervention in the city of Los Angeles 
School Dual Degree 
Degree Master of Arts / Master of Planning 
Degree Program Public Art Studies / Planning 
Publication Date 05/03/2011 
Defense Date 03/29/2011 
Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital) 
Tag art on billboards,Billboards,Daniel Joseph Martinez,How Many Billboards?: Art in Stead,Ken Gonzales-Day,Los Angeles,MAK Center,Manuel Castells,OAI-PMH Harvest,public realm,representation,subversive art,the image of the city,Urban Planning 
Place Name California (states), Los Angeles (counties), USA (countries), West Hollywood (city or populated place) 
Language English
Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance) 
Advisor Sutton, Gloria (committee chair), Decter, Joshua (committee member), Gray, Susan (committee member) 
Creator Email aadao@usc.edu,aurea_adao@yahoo.com 
Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-m3847
Unique identifier UC1200939 
Identifier etd-Adao-4486 (filename),usctheses-m40 (legacy collection record id),usctheses-c127-456413 (legacy record id),usctheses-m3847 (legacy record id) 
Legacy Identifier etd-Adao-4486.pdf 
Dmrecord 456413 
Document Type Thesis 
Rights Adao, Aurea 
Type texts
Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection) 
Repository Name Libraries, University of Southern California
Repository Location Los Angeles, California
Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
art on billboards
Daniel Joseph Martinez
How Many Billboards?: Art in Stead
Ken Gonzales-Day
MAK Center
Manuel Castells
public realm
representation
subversive art
the image of the city