In the first week of September, massive works of art replaced over 100 automobile advertisements on billboards and bus stops around England. Car ads that promised impossible rewards, like a stress-free driving experience were replaced with genuine works of art depicting the reality behind the car industry and its mandate of car-dependence, including the inescapable fact of traffic congestion, passenger and pedestrian deaths, pollution and climate change.

We invited Peter Marcuse, a co-founder of Brandalism (the activist organization behind the #AdBrake campaign) to explain the campaign and why the car industry is a perfect target for a public art takeover. As we learned from Peter, we are inundated with the messaging of the car industry everywhere we look, including out in public spaces. The irony is that many of the car ads are targeted at drivers currently stuck in urban traffic, and yet the public continues to buy into the mythology behind the industry.

Peter lays out the simple concept and practices behind what Brandalism has achieved in England and beyond. Far from involving a network of underground spies and friends in high places, Brandalism has made their mark fighting climate collapse with the simplest of tools: paper, paint and allen wrenches. The conversation is highly inspiring and brings us hope that the car industry, like big tobacco, will soon be on its way out of the mainstream and find its place where it belongs: a relic of a giant cultural mistake, a lesson in history and wisdom for future generations.