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Fun Tools for Reclaiming Public Space

Design Camouflage

Speaking of pranks, while at the OpenLab I wrote some step-by-step instructions on how to mimic corporate and government signage on the site instructables.  The guide outlines the most current methods to match fonts, colors, and layouts to make your new signs look as legitimate as possible.  Combined with the Billboard Liberation Front's classic manual, the Art and Science of Billboard Improvement and some basic computer image and vector editing skills, anyone should be able to alter signs or create their own.  All that's left is your own motivation and message. 

DIY Budget Gallery

Imagine attending a great garage sale, art opening, and block party all on one city sidewalk.  Between 2000-2005 I ran an outdoor guerilla art gallery in San Francisco, called the Budget Gallery where we would set up gallery style shows in high-traffic, "underutilized" public spaces like vacant lots and chain link fences.  All the art was sold on the honor system and was generally very cheap.  With a mailing list of over 700 people, they were very well attended by both followers of the gallery as well as passersby. 

The Budget Gallery was always meant to be a sort of "open source franchise" and a how-to guide was well overdue.  I was in an instruction writing mood, so I created DIY Budget Gallery - a wiki that explains how to organize these street-level art show/interventions.  You can use the information to create a Budget Gallery, or piecemeal for a related project.