💥 Strategic Directions for Paint the Streets

[ManicMax (Max)]

Reposting this post from @Jean_Lestrange on mattermost:

Hi,

There was a discussion which was had in one of the breakout meetings on the 30th, where we discussed how, in addition to the general ongoing activities of the Paint The Streets project, we could combine our activities with the “Digital Rebellion” and specifically address some of the pressing issues which have been pushed by governments under the cover of the COVID-19 lockdown.

In New South Wales there is an issue with the undermining of the Illawarra water catchments (south-west of Sydney) for coal and there may be some others which could be identified. In Victoria I understand that there has been some pressure to start new logging in Gippsland. There are very likely issues which need to be address by XR all over Australia.

In our breakout meeting we discussed how we could create a document specifically to address each of these issues which would not only include stencils for A2 posters, but would also include digital and print assets which rebels could easily use at a time when mass protests just aren’t possible. These assets could take our protests, formerly concentrated in city centres, and disperse them into the suburbs and across social media.

I am attaching a document which is a sample of how I think this could be done. It would be downloadable from the Paint The Streets server as a PDF and the stencil patterns printed out on a home printer. The digital assets would be hyperlinked so that clicking on them would download them from the internet.

The way I envisage this working is that we have each state identify one or two important issues that need to be addressed and that we quickly build the assets we need and develop these documents so that they are ready to start distributing a couple of days before May 11.

I don’t see this as being very difficult. Once we have identified the issues I am sure that the designers available to XR will be able to take on a project each and then, using the attached PDF as a working template, have the assets created within a couple of days. It might be good if a copywriter (@lyrebird?) could cast their eye over the text as it is a first draft written under a duvet on a cold morning.

Please note this document is still a work in progress. It is not a fait fait accompli. It would be great if someone from Paint The Streets who is wiser than me in the stencilling arts had a look at it. It is possible that there should be some other assets included or some assets taken away. The copy, as I said, is a first draft and the sloganeering may need some tweaking.

Jean’s stencil guide for "NO NEW COAL" stencils is here:
XR-MAR-0018 No New Coal Stencil Guide.pdf (3.2 MB)

This guide provides everything needed to make the below design and many variations thereof:

My summary of the proposed steps:

1. Each XR state or regional group identify some specific local issues or targets to highlight with Paint the Streets activity in conjunction with Digital Rebellion (high profile targets based on the three demands).
2. Our brains-trust of artists make up some beautiful designs for stencils / posters people can make.
3. Rebels and arts groups mass produce the stencils and posters.
4. Rebels go on paste-up / stencil runs with the designs on or around May 11 in conjunction with the digital rebellion.

Have I got that right?
I think this idea is a good one and fits in with the greater topic of how we might strategically escalate Paint the Streets. Please post other ideas on that topic here.

[herbree333 (mai)]

Hi,

Mai from XRSA here. Just thinking about the National issue of the collapse of the Murray Darling Basin… as when the Murray does collapse, it will start here.

messaging can be:

“The Murray ends here, but we can’t let it end now”.

“we won’t let it end now”

What are your thoughts? is there space for this type of messaging here?

Mai

[ManicMax (Max)]

XR Tasmania hasn’t had any people at the Paint the Streets meeting because their weekly catchup is at the same time. Nevertheless, they were already preparing something similar in conjunction with XR UK’s “No Going Back” campaign.

Here’s their action guide.

And their “Closed for Good” poster, which they plan to paste-up all over offending businesses:

Closed-for-good-poster (1).pdf (805.3 KB)

[jess]

This is a cool idea:

[jess]

I would be great to develop a similar document for Vic.
Any researchers or those across the details of such things want start compiling a detailed hit list?
@Jane perhaps?

[jess]

WANTED: TINY ART GROUPS WHO WANT TO LEARN TO LEARN TO MAKE POSTERS
Get in touch. Spacially distanced in-person training on offer.

[ManicMax (Max)]

Copying this across from mattermost from @the-river-jordan

Hey Paint the Streeters. The Digital Rebellion team would like to include a Paint The Streets launch on the 20th May to close the Rebellion and encourage people to get out and artifying. Looking for some feedback on that idea. Potentially could be a NSW only launch if there’s an issue with a national launch on that day?

They want to finalise and publish their timeline tomorrow if possible…

I told him to give them a go-ahead for launch of Paint the Streets on May 20th, with the following provisos:

• It would be good if XR NSW / Sydney could provide local advice on the legal risks of paste-ups / stenciling, keeping in mind the changing recommendations around COVID-19.
• We will try to have some general guidelines ready by then for how groups could best direct their energy in the launch week.
• We will try to plan a good escalation post-launch

[RosariaRebel (Rosaria Burchielli)]

Yay! I like this.

[JaneM (Jane Morton)]

The next stage of No Going Back in the UK involves creating bike lanes.

No Going Back: Reclaim the Streets!

[ManicMax (Max)]

Cool!
XR Paris did this a while back I think.
I’m not sure if this is a messaging guideline though, I’m going to move it to the strategic directions topic

[JaneM (Jane Morton)]

On the weekends of 16-17 May and 23-24, May 200 large versions of these will be going up around inner-city Melbourne with the help of Rock Posters. How about others do a poster and stencil blitz those two weekends as well? You are welcome to use these designs or any others. More is better! Hopefully, restrictions will be somewhat eased by then.
XR_Posters_A4_Now (1).pdf (361.2 KB) XR_Posters_A4_Rebel01.pdf (1.8 MB)
XR_Posters_A4_Rebel02.pdf (1.2 MB) XR_Posters_A4_Together_02.pdf (1.0 MB)

We are also on the hunt for unused billboards and it looks like we may have two already. These will need to be postered rather than painted as they are up too high. What do you think about a series of quotes from famous people?

[JaneM (Jane Morton)]

We have an offer from street artist John Lawry to paint up to five murals for free. We have one fence. Can you help find more? Here are some of his past works. They were done in the time of the fires, so now we need some ideas for new designs relevant to these times. Any thoughts?

[RosariaRebel (Rosaria Burchielli)]

What about something along these lines, with the message ‘Now is the time for change’:

[ManicMax (Max)]

We are also on the hunt for unused billboards and it looks like we may have two already. These will need to be postered rather than painted as they are up too high. What do you think about a series of quotes from famous people? These could be posters too. Billboard ideas fixed.pdf (345.8 KB)

It might be worth finding a home for this project - maybe the XR Vic Arts WG, or maybe a Billboard Brandalism affinity group could form to work on this ( interested, @brad333? ) .

[brad333 (Brad Homewood)]

Interested to see who else is keen and how much traction this idea has got, would need a reasonably sized AF…

[JaneM (Jane Morton)]

The two billboards were in fact just one, and that one doesn’t seem to be an option at the moment. So we are back to square one. I’d be happy to help with a billboard project but someone else would need to drive it. Meanwhile, Mark C did these rough drafts in billboard shape if anyone can find a use for them. There are so many great quotes around at the moment! I’d love to see a whole series of quote posters.

[jess]

Great idea. The poster generator is the perfect tool for whipping up posters with quotes on them.
You could print off a whole bunch at office works - even B&W would be fine.
Then hook in with the PTS Actions team who are connecting Rebels who want to do poster pasting but don’t want to make them.

[jess]

Poster generator messages are popping up all over my local area at the moment and they are very effective. Perfect for wordy quotes.
If you place them where people travelling by foot or bike pause for a moment: at the traffic lights, level crossings, parking metres, ATM machines, cafe queues etc they will be read and absorbed.
Large billboards are designed to be read by people driving past in a car or stopping at the lights (depending on the location) so the less words the better.
You could reach just as many eyeballs - if not more - by pasting quotes along popular walking tracks and suburban pedestrian crossings.
Cheap, easy, low risk and scaleable.

[JaneM (Jane Morton)]

Yes that one looks good. Which poster generator does that come from? The one I found only has the option of having the image in a similar colour to the background.

Most of the quotes I’m looking at are a bit long to be read easily in A4 but I’m keen to do some long black and white ones that could go along the base of some of the runs of large posters that are around. There is nearly always a gap of a metre or so below. These are cheap to have printed and can be any length. Could also be giant stencils, but that’s a lot of work.

Eg Could have a large XR logo on the first (0.75m high by 3m wide approx) followed another similar size with a quote or slogan followed by another logo followed by a different quote or slogan. They could span ten or fifteen metres easily and would look quite dramatic.

I like the slogan that UK XR used for their shoes protest: “COVID today. Climate tomorrow. Act now.”

Also: “What do you choose: extinction or rebellion?”

Or with that much space quotes like Greta’s: “whether we like it or not the world has changed …” would also be an option.

[JaneM (Jane Morton)]

Next project is wide, banner shaped posters like this. Any ideas welcome. Melbourne rebel Meg is helping with layout and we will print them in black and white (self- funded!!) - or those with time and energy could make stencils.
Any suggestions? Anyone want to help with design, fundraising ($4 per metre wide) or pasting up in inner city Melbourne?

XR banner poster ideas 1.pdf (886.7 KB) XR banner poster ideas 2.pdf (826.7 KB) XR banner poster ideas 3.pdf (387.7 KB)