This series of murals was painted around San Francisco at 2 different locations. I made clear plastic stencils of the letters, stapled them up, and painted the whole wall black. Then I pulled the stencils down and painted in the yellow outline.
Thanks to Dan Janos, Dan Spencer, and Sara Dierck for their work on this project. Instructions posted here.
In collaboration with Dan Janos.
In 2000, San Francisco BART Stations were invlolved in a “submersion advertising campaign” for the prescription drug Prilosec. There were ads everywhere, but nothing said what the drug was for.
Dan Janos and myself entered the space dressed as a pharmaceutical sales rep and a doctor. They passed out “sales information” and did preliminary exams and screenings. We had planted some people in the station who would agree to take the exam and phoney drugs (purple candy) which we were passing out as free samples. The pamphlets claimed that the drug was used to fight feelings of confusion and being overwhelmed by all pervasive advertising techniques.
The video is documentation of this intervention, however it took a life of it’s own and ended up, quite appropriately, in the form of an infomercial.
screenprint on paper
18″h x 25″w
This print looks like an ordinary United States flag, but a closer inspection reveals hidden text printed over the flag. On the red stripes is printed every country in the United Nations, except the United States of America. Over the white stripes, names of companies which have a major influence on US policy – companies like Bechtel, Disney, Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto, and others. Printed over the stars, of course, dollar signs. The text layer is printed over the color layer with a clear gloss and only appears upon reflection from a light source.
Viewers looking at the flag straight on will not see the content. Viewers who spend the time to look more closely will discover the hidden text as the light passes over different areas of the print.
