Welcome to art not ads. We are dedicated to the removal of intrusive advertising from public spaces, and its replacement with more thought-provoking media. If you are interested in the work we are doing, you can help us by joining our pledge 
at PledgeBank .
Which do you prefer?
Okay, so perhaps you're not a big fan of Picasso .
Maybe you'd prefer to see some Turner instead.
What about a bit of Damien Hirst ?
Hockney ? Or perhaps you're not into the visual arts
but would prefer a nice little something to read. How about an extract of a text by Sun Tzu
or Confucius ? What else would you like in place of the usual mind-numbing adverts we see everywhere?
News
Like a phoenix from the flames
20 March 2007
The pledge closed a long time ago, and the proposed anti-ad didn't get enough funding - but ArtNotAds is far from dead. Read the blog for the latest comments on the advertising industry's attempts to subdue the populous, and lend us a helping hand if you can.
Forum launched, presspack created
24 August 2006
A little bit of website news: we now have an online forum! Since the comments board over at PledgeBank was starting to get a little full, our new forum should keep the comments and discussions all in one place, and organised into categories. Give it a whirl!
A few members of the press have been in touch recently, wanting to know more about the campaign. Some seem to be under the misapprehension that Art Not Ads is in fact some sort of guerilla marketing agency, specialising in "extreme ad placement" and "interruptive marketing". How funny. Still, if you wish to write about us we are pleased to reveal our small but perfectly formed press pack. If you need any images to accompany your article, you will find them here. Please contact us for more information.
Hard evidence!
17 July 2006
Some people have been contacting ANA with the concern that, while they would like to contribute, it would be a lot more beneficial to them if this pledge wasn't so London-centric. I wholeheartedly agree, and with the benefit of hindsight, it would have been great to think of a nation-wide action. There would surely be something of a similar nature that we could easily do, such as an anti-ad placed in a newspaper. However the pledge is well underway now, and it wouldn't be fair on those who have signed to change it. But of course, this is just a small beginning. Everyone involved with ANA would like to see this project grow and make a continued attempt at reducing the amount of intrusive public advertising. And so I'm sure we will see national action one day!
A clued-up reader has offered an inspired way of involving those outside of London. And so, we will offer a printed photo of the anti-ad, in its public place, once it's up there. The photo would be A5, printed on good quality paper, and posted to anyone who wants a copy. This is of course available to anyone who wants a copy, either inside or outside London. Who knows, maybe we'll get some of the pledgers in the photo, giving a cheery wave? Once the pledge has succeeded (or even if not, and if we find another way of going ahead with a similar action) then feel free to get in touch and ask for a copy. You'll have to cover the costs, but these should be minimal, in the order of £2 or so.
The comments from people living outside London are actually a very positive sign. It's clear that people around the country feel strongly about the sale of public eye-space to the highest bidders. Spread the word - the more people who sign the pledge, the better!
Site redesign
24 March 2006
After several weeks of unfortunate but necessary distraction, the Art Not Ads team is back on the job. The website has been revamped, and blogging and bulletin-board systems are in the pipeline. These will allow the ANA team to post regular updates to this site, as well as letting people to leave their comments here, instead of on the Pledgebank website.
As usual, there have been plenty of discussions - both online and offline - about how Art Not Ads can best achieve its goals. In fact, some of those discussions have been about exactly what the goals should be! When the pledge was started, the intention was simply to "buy back" some advertising space, and replace the advertising in it with a work of art. It was felt that this would be a Good Thing, and would give the bleary-eyed commuters a little bit of joy and mental stimulation in the mornings, instead of the usual bombardment of soul-crushing advertising.
Over at Pledgebank, the debate started as to what should be displayed in our "anti-ad", and an inspired suggestion was made: nothing. That's right, nothing at all. A blank sheet of paper. Subsequently it was mooted that it should feature the text "This space left intentionally blank". What an interesting idea! Would you prefer to see a work of art, or a blank sheet of paper on your morning commute? Let us know.
Another great idea has also bubbled to the surface. What if adverts had sell-by dates? If an advert "expires", if it is still on display after the contractor's agreed dates, then it should be replaced. And what better to replace it with than... well, that debate has yet to be settled. A blank sheet of paper, an artwork, a text, it wouldn't really matter. As long as the advertising is obliterated, people would be a lot happier. The beauty of this idea is that is circumvents a lot of the "problems" that the pro-advertising lobby dwell on, which are often about the revenue that advertising generates. (They should read our thoughts on that).
And so this is the new thrust of the Art Not Ads campaign. To replace defunct and out-of-date advertising with our anti-ads. Is this a great idea? Have we gone mad? Are we diluting our goals and missing the point of the original pledge? Well, we don't think so. But maybe you do? Why not tell us your thoughts.
ArtNotAds.com launched!
17 November 2005
Yes, artnotads.com is finally born! After garnering support from our pledge at PledgeBank this website will serve as a focal point for all our work. Over the coming weeks and months, it is here that we will post our progress, discuss our goals, and decide how best to achieve them.
For now, there isn't a lot here, but that should change. This page will be kept up to date with any news about the site, while you can read our blog for news about the ANA campaign. Have a look around the rest of the site. Here's what you will find:
About
Dive in here if you want some thought-provoking reading. There's a fairly lengthy discussion about the problem with intrusive advertising in our public spaces, as well as a summary of our aims.
Blog
News relating to the Art Not Ads campaign, and various thoughts on intrusive advertising in public spaces.
Forum
Have your say! It takes 10 seconds to register, then you can let us know what you think of the Art Not Ads campaign.
Roadmap
This section outlines our plans for the future.
Contact
Get in touch! Email us, leave a comment at our pledge at PledgeBank .
Support
The ways in which you can support us - and not all of them involve money!