A team of vigilante vandals whitewashed more than 100 street-level billboards last weekend so artists could use them as blank canvases.
These billboards are illegal under city law, said Jordan Seiler, of the Public Ad Campaign, “So we wanted to use them for public communication instead of public consumption.”
City officials would not confirm, whether the billboards, all owned by NPA Wildposting, are illegal.
But the artists’ creations — including turning one billboard into a giant “delete” key — were quickly replaced with more mundane ads for iPods and upcoming concerts.
The effort drew large crowds and support, Seiler said.
“We had lots of tourists watching the artists work,” he said. “I think of this as a vigilante cultural event.”