Billboards in Focus
The art of the billboard is an ironic one. A public advertisement appears on public land, but in such a way that you can't look away. Its power comes from its size, and its ability to force itself on your attention. It's not immediately clear what the message is trying to sell you, if anything. It simply shouts "I'm here."
A lot of billboards have been altered in such a way that they don't advertise at all - they seem more like something between paintings and graffiti than commercial ads for cars or electronics.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_Desert_View_Drive_Mountain_View,_CA.JPG" alt="billboard-desert-view-drive-mountain-view-ca.jpg" width="528" height="463">
Riding along the highway - California's Interstate 15 to be precise - you see at least one example of this every few miles. They look like billboards, and yet they aren't really trying to sell anything at all. They're just there, sometimes bright and colorful and sometimes faded by sun and weather. What are those strange things?
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_in_Death_Valley.jpg" alt="534617897.jpg" width="500" height="333">
It turns out that they're part of a larger art form called "The Billboard Project", where anonymous artists take discarded billboards and turn them into giant, semi-abstract pieces of public art.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Desert billboard project (1).JPG" alt="desert-billboard-project-1.jpg" width="200" />
The first billboard-turned-art in the billboard project was created by a man who goes under the name "Billboard Bob." He made one of these billboards for Death Valley, California, which had originally been a giant ad for American Mobile homes.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_in_Death_Valley.jpg" alt="billboard-in-death-valley.jpg" width="500" height="332">
This billboard is intimidatingly huge, and at night looks more like a piece of modern art than something that's meant to sell anything at all.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Dime_Billboard_in_Malibu.jpg" alt="black-dime-billboard-in-malibu.jpg" width="500" height="253"/>
The project's creators say their goal is to cover the whole state of California with these sorts of pieces, and they've already installed close to 300 in various places across the state.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_artwork_-_Reseda_(1856).JPG" alt="billboard-artwork-reseda (1856).jpg" width="350" height="239">
The art projects have a large number of fans, and they've inspired artists to recycle other kinds of public and private spaces as billboards - sometimes even advertising their own work.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Culver_Rock_Billboard_(2).jpg" alt="culver-rock-billboard-(2).jpg" width="500" height="334">
A lot of the billboards are painted bright colors, in contrast to the faded gray that most car ads tend to be painted.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_art_in_Paradise_Point,_St._Thomas,_USVI_(8202).jpg" alt="billboard-art-in-paradise-point-st.-thomas-usvi-(8202)-5.jpg" width="500" height="333">
The billboards are obviously larger than the real estate that ad companies sell - but they exist as giant art pieces because these companies don't want them. Ads that can't be torn down by the sponsors are essentially free, since they're still paid for and viewed by all.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_in_Death_Valley-3.jpg" alt="billboard-in-death-valley-3.jpg" width="500" height="334">
It's hard to believe that this gigantic billboard is actually being used to sell anything, but it's pretty great when you realize the impact it has on the viewer nonetheless.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_in_Death_Valley-4.jpg" alt="billboard-in-death-valley-4.jpg" width="500" height="334">
There's an abundance of this sort of public art all over the state, and it's a great way to explore what public art can actually be.
<img class="aligncenter" src="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billboard_artwork_-_Reseda_(1856).JPG" alt="billboard-artwork-reseda (1856)-2.jpg" width="350" height="239">
They're also a little bit scary, even if they're not trying to advertise anything. What else could be out there in the world, but deliberately hidden away and impossible to view?
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Billboards in Focus