Ten days ago, the streets of Manhattan were flooded with people whitewashing and repainting 120 billboards illegally set up by outdoor ads companies like CBS, Clear Channel and NPA.

These companies have been taking advantage of weaknesses in the city’s laws, which won’t prosecute advertisers on billboards not registered which are therefore illegal, thus allowing them to multiply their income with more intrusive ads.

The fact that those billboards were themselves illegal has created a loophole which protected the whitewashers as well as the artists from police intervention. Out of the hundreds who took part in the event, held under the supervision of Public Ad Campaign’s Jordan Seiler, only two white washers and one artist, Walker Teiser, had to spend the night in jail due to charges pressed by an overwhelmed NPA employee.

The ephemeral art resulting from the New York Street Advertising Takeover is just simply amazing. Hopefully the city’s officials won’t remove the billboards so the art keeps flowing. For clever advertisers and brands it could be an opportunity to keep the conversations flowing with the street artists, or anyone who cares to join in.

Photo Courtesy of NYSAT-Municipal Landscape Control Committee