V-TARP

Official Translink email to V-TARP

2010-05-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

Dear jerm IX and Vegas,

My name is ------- ---------, and I am the Manager of Customer Services and Marketing at TransLink. And as you may have already guessed, I’m writing to you in regards to the Vancouver Transit Ad Reclamation Project (V-TARP), your project to install artworks in the spaces used for advertising on our transit system.

To be sure, discussions about public space, its intersections with private interests, and its obligations to serve the community are very important. It’s something we think about at TransLink every day, as much of our work in planning and operating our transit system brings these issues of public space to the forefront.

However, we at TransLink have a limited budget with which to serve the people of this region. As residents balk at supporting transit through higher taxes, fares, or other fees, advertising from private companies provides an additional source of revenue that helps support our system.

So while the issues you raise in V-TARP are important, your project is sadly affecting a key funding source to make its point. By taking over our ad space and posting works that criticize our ads, V-TARP is creating a negative impact on TransLink’s relationship with advertisers, which is starting to cost our system in revenue. As such, we would like to ask if you could bring V-TARP to a close and refrain from posting further works on our advertising spaces.

Thus far, our transit advertising agency LAMAR has spent over $3,000 in labour charges to remove the V-TARP pieces. As well, a number of our larger advertisers have called LAMAR with concerns about the V-TARP projects. If the advertising environment becomes inhospitable, these accounts may cancel their contracts with us. Finally, if there are ad campaigns have been booked with LAMAR but are then cancelled before completion, TransLink is on the hook for the costs of that campaign. In the past, pulled campaigns have cost us $10,000-$20,000 in fees.

We do recognize the value of art to our system and our community, however, and if there is a way to work together in a way that does not impact our revenue sources, we would be happy to do it. For example, we are trying to expand our Poetry in Transit campaign beyond its current scope, into an Art on Transit program. We would love to work with you and other artists to build something that supports and enhances the public spaces that we all value.

Contact me if you would like to discuss the above opportunity further.

Regards

------ --------

**********************************************
i have responded briefly to this email regarding the possibility of working with Translink on a legitimate 'Art in Transit' project. I also requested clarification on the point made that it has allegedly cost $3000 to remove thirty-some pieces of cardstock that are merely resting in empty adspaces.
I find this claim to be ridiculously unbelievable.

I would however like some input from the global community before i move forward. so what do you think?

Installations 31-33

2010-05-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Installation 31 - Poster Child & jerm IX

Installation 32 - jerm IX & OBEY

Installation 33 - Vegas

Installations 28-30

2010-05-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

Installation 28 - Vegas & starheadboy

Installation 29 - Vegas, LOAF (the writings of prophets are written on subway walls) & jerm IX

Installation 30 - stickboy, Vegas & Encore

Installations 24-27

2010-05-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Installation 24 - Encore (I Hate My Boyfriend) & Rize-Up (Live to love something worth sacrifice)

Installation 25 - The Promo - Vegas & jerm IX

Installation 26 - Jacque Lynn Davis (Why Not?), Encore (I Hate My Boss) & jerm IX (Control Alt Delete)

Installation 27 - Vegas & jerm IX

V-TARP gets some love from adbusters

2010-04-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

here is the adbusters V-TARP post

Installation 23

2010-04-21T13:46:00.001-07:00

Rize-Up, starheadboy & jerm IX

Installations 21 & 22

2010-04-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Installation 21 - Jacquee Lynn Davis, Rize-Up & jerm IX

Installation 21 - Vegas & Rich S.

Installations 18-20 by Jordan Seiler (Public Ad Campaign)

2010-04-14T22:57:00.001-07:00

18 Jordan Seiler (Public Ad Campaign) BOUGHT borrowed stolen

19 Jordan Seiler (Public Ad Campaign) bought BORROWED stolen

20 Jordan Seiler (Public Ad Campaign) & jerm IX bought borrowed STOLEN

Public Ad Campaign V-TARP post

15 reinstalled & 17

2010-04-08T16:59:00.000-07:00

15 reinstalled - jerm IX

17 jerm IX & SueMe

Installations 13, 14, 16 & the epic failure of Installation 15

2010-04-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

Installation 13 - Len Cowgill & jerm IX

Installation 14 - basco5, starheadboy & jerm IX

The epic failure of Installation 15 - jerm IX

Up until installation 15, we have encountered happy transit riders, usually smiling , laughing or ignoring us. Unbenounced to me, as i was installing this I'm not lovin' it piece beside a mcdonalds ad, a man stomped up behind me and pushed my wife ninja IX out of his way. he began to rant as he tore the piece down, all the while i was photographing. i ripped the piece back from his hands and exited the train, only to hear from ninja that he pushed her violently and hurt her leg. It's probably a good thing that i was oblivious to this until after the fact or the situation would have really deteriorated. anyway, the piece is ready to go up again.
As an after thought, this was a positive experience. After all the point of V-TARP is to create or continue the dialogue around the use of public space. That angry man was passionate and aggressive, which made everyone on the train take notice of both of our actions. Almost everyone else was smiling and clearly had no problem with my sign install. As i exited the train, i yelled out proudly..."Long live public art!"

Installation 16 - jerm IX

Installations 9-12

2010-04-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

9 Vegas

10 Vegas & starheadboy

11 stickboy,Vegas & jerm IX

12 Vegas

Installations 7 & 8

2010-04-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

7 stickboy & jerm IX

8 stickboy & jerm IX

Installation 6

2010-03-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

Vegas & jerm IX

Installation 5

2010-03-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Vegas & jerm IX

for the record, installations 1 and 3 were still up on the trains today, a very good sign for V-TARP.

Installation 4

2010-03-21T11:42:00.001-07:00

Vegas & jerm IX

1,2,3...

2010-03-19T12:30:00.001-07:00

V-TARP Installation 3 - Vegas & jerm IX

V-TARP Installation 2 - Vegas & jerm IX

V-TARP Installation 1 - Vegas & jerm IX

and so it begins...

2010-03-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Fresh off the heels of his third successful IYTI event in Vancouver, jerm IX is teaming up with street artist and documentarian Vegas on a project that encompasses the entire transit system of Vancouver and the surrounding lower mainland. V-TARP, The Vancouver Transit Ad Re-appropriation Project would like to invite you to participate by sending in your artwork, cut to the proper dimensions.

for the dimensions and the address, hit me up on flickr, or email vantarp@gmail.com

"...you can create a much bigger dialogue about who has the right to use public space in this way. While the actions of one person might be seen as that of a vigilante, the actions of many become a protest. because of this I think large scale projects like V-TARP encourage a conversation around the issue of commercial/public use of our shared environment. Questions about how using public space for commercial messaging might affect the public's use of that space become something to talk about, and that can only bring good as far as I am concerned."

-Jordan Seiler, in a V-TARP submission call post on
Public Ad Campaign
mad love to Jordan for the support.

so, what are you waiting for?
email vantarp@gmail.com and get the dimensions and the address.