{"id":92,"date":"2020-08-03T09:55:41","date_gmt":"2020-08-03T07:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/?p=92"},"modified":"2021-01-28T18:07:50","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T17:07:50","slug":"publi-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2020\/08\/03\/publi-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for a Miracle"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is common knowledge that public space offers abundant opportunities for (commercial) publicity. City councils supplement their tight budgets with lucrative contracts for exploiting billboards in public space, with big companies such as JC Decaux. The commercially most attractive locations are those where people tend to spend ’empty’ time; traffic lights, bus stops, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But during the lockdown most of these contracts were suspended; since streets and squares were void of people exposure to a big audience was no longer guaranteed. To avoid billboards standing empty – which might enhance the feeling of social unsafety – and to convey a positive message posters like these were put up: ‘things will get better’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The image above is promotion for an exhibition about miracles at the Museum Catherijne Convent in Utrecht. It says ‘Call for a Miracle’ and after dialing the telephone number indicated you enter a menu proposing 3 choices. Option 1: “Do you want to hear a miracle?” Option 2: “Do you want to share a miracle?” But especially option 3 appeals to the imagination: “Do you want to experience a miracle?” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This accidental public message of hope was more comforting to me than the official one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is common knowledge that public space offers abundant opportunities for (commercial) publicity. City councils supplement their tight budgets with lucrative contracts for exploiting billboards in public space, with big companies such as JC Decaux. The commercially most attractive locations are those where people tend to spend ’empty’ time; traffic lights, bus stops, etc. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[7,30,29,19],"class_list":["post-92","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corona-files","tag-corona","tag-covid-19","tag-publicity","tag-rotterdam"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8121-kopie.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":102,"url":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2020\/08\/11\/publi-city-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":0},"title":"Public Works","author":"Floorvand","date":"11 August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Rotterdam is provided with a network of billboards to promote local cultural events: exhibitions, concerts, festivals, etc. The billboards are often located in unattractive spots for public exposure (see previous post). Tunnels and bypasses, non-places or transit spaces, that we\u2019re meant to move through as fast as possible. With many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Corona Files"","block_context":{"text":"Corona Files","link":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/category\/corona-files\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8515-kopie.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8515-kopie.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8515-kopie.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8515-kopie.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/IMG_8515-kopie.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":456,"url":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2021\/03\/03\/ad-hoc-defensive-urbanism-or-public-space-paranoia\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":1},"title":"Ad-hoc Defensive Urbanism or Public Space Paranoia","author":"Floorvand","date":"3 March 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Over a year ago, the Corona-crisis broke and led to worldwide lockdowns that restricted acces to public space on the grounds of preventing viral spread. We were bombarded with \u2018nudging\u2019 methods that used tape, stickers and all manner of improvised materials to instruct our behaviour to maintain social distance, where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Corona Files"","block_context":{"text":"Corona Files","link":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/category\/corona-files\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8146-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8146-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8146-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8146-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG_8146-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":496,"url":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2021\/04\/29\/ghost-town\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":2},"title":"Ghost Town","author":"Floorvand","date":"29 April 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Public space is the mirror of society, the stage for everday socio-cultural interaction. We meet, eat, party, play, exercise, and, importantly, shop in public space. Pictured is the Meent, a typically busy shopping street in Rotterdam\u2019s centre. Streets like these are the spine of public space, the key support for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Corona Files"","block_context":{"text":"Corona Files","link":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/category\/corona-files\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ghost_Town.jpg?fit=871%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ghost_Town.jpg?fit=871%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ghost_Town.jpg?fit=871%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ghost_Town.jpg?fit=871%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":799,"url":"https:\/\/publicspacedetective.com\/cms\/2022\/12\/13\/double-trouble-at-the-weena\/","url_meta":{"origin":92,"position":3},"title":"The Weena Trilogy, Part I: Double Trouble at the Weena","author":"Floorvand","date":"13 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A while ago I wrote on Instagram about the defensive intervention I stumbled over in front of the Weenahouse in Rotterdam. Just a short recap, to refresh the memory: Double trouble! Or no, triple trouble! or should I say tripping trouble? 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It is the city's substrate, its foundation, the very fabric that connects otherwise isolated buildings. Public space sets the stage for our every-day life, our sociocultural interactions, our daily journeying and wayfinding. 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Myriad concepts and techniques, most derived from nature, are employed to mask unsightly public infrastructure; so the topic requires closer inspection. 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