This Space Available

This Space Available, released in 2011, is an exciting and insightful film that takes a hard, unflinching look at the dynamic world of outdoor advertising. Packed to bursting with intriguing insights, captivating personalities and stunning visuals, this intriguing documentary explores the pervasiveness of outdoor advertising and the growing resistance against their proliferation worldwide.

Born from the minds of filmmakers Gwenaëlle Gobé and Marc Gobé, This Space Available paints a vivid, often eye-opening picture of how our public spaces — our cities, roads, buildings — are increasingly being coveted and consumed by advertisers seeking to make an impression on potential consumers. Narrated by Gwenaëlle Gobé, the film sets out to enlighten the audience on the commercialization of public spaces and the challenges that cities and communities face in harnessing aesthetic control over their environments.

The documentary features contributions from an eclectic mix of fascinating personalities. Among the key figures is David Allan, an established advertising executive, whose deep insights into the industry's practices and motivations provide a necessary foil to the resisters that also populate the film. Robert Barocci, former president of the Advertising Research Foundation, also lends his unique perspective to the discourse, having spent much of his career researching how and why advertisements succeed or fail.

In contrast, This Space Available also presents the views of Lawrence Bridges, the prominent filmmaker and sundry anti-billboard activists. These individuals bring a palpable energy and sense of urgency to the age-old struggle between commercial interests and the integrity of the public space, creating a detailed portrait of the anti-outdoor advertising movement.

Film audiences meet artists, scholars, and concerned activists who share compelling stories about their endeavors to reclaim their public spaces from the hands of commercial entities. From Sao Paulo's Clean City Law implementation to activists in the U.S who physically climb and take down illegal billboards, the documentary explores these individuals and their unique missions against the behemoth of outdoor advertising.

This Space Available is not just a catalog of the advertising industry's excesses, or a rallying cry for those who resist them. At its heart, it's an exploration of our shared spaces - what they mean, how they shape our lives, and how they could be designed for maximum public good, rather than private gain. It makes viewers question: Who owns our public spaces? Who has the right to use them, and for what purpose?

The documentary serves as a plea for society to take a step back and really contemplate the impact of advertising on our daily lives and psyches. There's a conscious emphasis on 'visual pollution' throughout the film, a concept that suggests our marketing-saturated environments are not just unappealing aesthetically, but also have detrimental psychological and physical impacts on citizens.

Cinematically, the film is striking. It juxtaposes beautiful shots of cities and countrysides with the harsh, sometimes garish reality of billboards and signage that litter them. Combined with a provocative, striking narration and a collection of evocative visuals, This Space Available is an uncompromising, brilliantly realized takedown of the outdoor ad industry.

In This Space Available, the compelling narrative and thorough examination of advertising's psychological effects make it a must-watch for anyone interested in urban studies and visual culture — or anyone that's ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of ads in their city. This film will no doubt awaken viewers to the silent takeover of public spaces and potentially promote a call to action.

With a running time of 87 minutes, this compelling documentary is a fascinating journey into a topic that affects us all but is often taken for granted. Crafting a poignant narrative that is both captivating and thought-provoking, This Space Available from 2011 is a relevant discussion piece about the line between commerce and community, space and ownership, advertisement and art.

While it may be hard to imagine a world devoid of outdoor advertising, This Space Available challenges viewers to consider that possibility and to contemplate what we, as a society, may be losing in exchange for the ever-elusive lure of consumerism.