The Place for the Public Art (part 3)

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The Place for the Public Art (part 3)
SPLAC!

The city of São Paulo witnessed a great change in its look when a few months ago all kinds of advertisements were considered illegal, except a few that judicially could stand. The idea to remove the bulk of outdoors and publicity is part of a big plan to establish new rules for publicity, which of course will be very profitable for the municipality. the only publicity allowed in the city is the ones in municipal bus stops and subways.
The radical decision was took without much or no dialogue in the society, and took everybody by surprise. Not only the irregular or excessive propaganda had to be put off, but even small tabulets. Suddenly everything was prohibited without distinction.
Bijari
Too much corruption in past administration had led the city to turn into a tremendous mess. No regulation about the use of public space had turn São Paulo into one of the visually most polluted cities in the world. The ones that caused more damage was illegal advertisements of buildings. Placed in wrong places they were cause of countless accidents. The reaction to this kind of advertisement first take place by individuals, in general by vandalizing them. those ads were totally illegal. It usually was placed on Friday night, when the municipality fiscals were off for the weekend, and would be pulled out on Sunday night. it was a tacit agreement between the fiscals and the advertisement agencies.
The group EIA (immersive ambiental experience) planned a urban exhibition that would use the actual tabulets as support. the tabulets were made of light wood and was attached to light posts with a wire. The idea was to call a large number of individuals and call them to bring their own tabulet - took from the streets- with his intervention.


The EIA also with support of Atelier Coringa (another collective) would provide tabulets for those who had no conditions to take them at the streets. For this, we took two big cars and went after the tabulets. there were hundreds of them. in only one avenue we get most of them, about 100 illegal tabulets.
The day before at Atelier Coringa's studio people were invited to make their own intervention on the tabulets.
Paulo Hartmann
On Sunday we took all the tabulets to a square where they were shown as in an art fair. It was a very beautiful day with a lot of participation from the people of the area, that was endangered by rising taxes and speculation on their lands. this provide them support for their own cause also.
The show was covered by news paper, and after this day the tabulets were taken to Prestes Maia occupation, where it was exposed for a while and after that people could use the wood in several ways.

The disappearance of the tabulets were very disturbing for the tabulet scheme. the next weeks after that there were much less tabulets, and some of them were attached with chains to trees and posts. in less than a mouth after that, the tabulets were declared officially illegal and forbidden by the municipality. Actually they were illegal before, but too much attention on then make them very evident.
The laws forbidding all publicity in the city came around an year and half after that event.
Fernanda Brenner

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