EXTENSION, 2021
Project Extension at the festival of art in public space Kukačka 2021 with the subtitle This is not art
Visual smog is a persistent phenomenon in today’s cities. Ubiquitous advertising on posters, billboards and signs which can’t be avoided and which infest our immediate surroundings accompanies us at every step. Distracting our attention, it obscures the true appearance of urban space. Tereza Bonaventurová has been dealing with the issue of visual smog for a long time. The intervention called Extension works with visual ballast in a reverse, subversive way: the two billboards don’t contain advertising or other materials, and they don’t even give any information – they only reflect the surrounding spatial situation. Through its reflection, this “extension” of reality disturbs the viewer: what is actually the message and what is its meaning?
Advertising billboards usually present us with a modified, idealised reality. The Extension project offers a reflection on whether our public space is ideal enough to be displayed in such a representative way. And if not, what can we do to make it ideal?