What Can Be Done to Fight the Rise of Visual Pollution?

Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg interviews Gwenaëlle Gobé, director of a new film called This Space Available, which seeks to document the rise of "visual pollution" and those who are fighting to stop it.

1 minute read

March 8, 2012, 11:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


According to Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg, the film is, "the product of [a] three-year investigation of outdoor advertising and its effect on communities, from São Paulo to Toronto, and what activists, street artists, and cities are doing to stop it." In the interview, Gobé discusses her inspiration for the film, the filming process, and the responses it has received.

Here is Gobé, whose father is a "corporate branding guru", on her inspiration:

"I feel brands infiltrate our space, our privacy and our health without asking permission. Everywhere we go we are treated as potential consumers. There needs to be a place for everything, and we, as a culture, as individuals, are many other things besides consumers. It's important to create and maintain public and private spaces that respect the citizen. "

And, on her goal for the film:

"My goal was to make a movie to pull the veil away, and raise the audience's awareness in this critical arena regarding their quality of life. When we leave the responsibility of the quality of our environment to others who are out only to sell us something no matter what the place or cost, the results will be somewhat ruinous."

Friday, March 2, 2012 in The Atlantic

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