SÉQUENCE 2 - ARTIVISM

PART 2

Graffiti and activism

Though graffiti is often pointed at as being illegal and mere vandalism, it can also be used as a powerful
tool to address environmental, societal and political issues and, at the same time, to raise awareness.
You will firstly learn about reverse graffiti and its goals. Then, you will watch the second part of the video
you studied in part 1 and read an article to learn more about street artists’ strategies for denouncing the
scourges of our modern world.

Culture Counterculture versus mainstream culture

“Artivism”
Reverse graffiti
Methodology Reading a longer article
Grammar Making hypotheses
Expressing contrast
Expressing probability
Giving your opinion and debating
Vocabulary Portmanteau words
Protest and activism
Difference between British and American English
Phonology
<-ion> rule: how to stress words
Graphophonetics Pronunciation of <ou> and <ough>

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1. Activity 1: Reverse Graffiti ( - 30 min)
Despite its bad reputation, graffiti can have a strong, positive impact on people and on society. You will
now discover what reverse graffiti is and understand its impact.

A. Look at the picture and try to guess how the graffiti were done

Photo : TheClue / © iStock / Getty Images Plus.

Word box
A stencil
A buff
Spray paint
A paint brush
A poster
Chemical paint ≠ environmentally-friendly paint
Harmful ≠ harmless
A fire hydrant

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 Language skills: how to make hypotheses
To make hypotheses, you can use modal auxiliaries expressing probability (might, could, can, may, must) or use
expressions such as: to be likely / unlikely to, it is bound to, it is probable that...
Y ou can refer to your grammar book: Petite grammaire anglaise, Chapter 12.

B. Check your hypotheses by reading the following description

Reverse graffiti is also known as clean graffiti, green graffiti or even clean advertising.
It is a creative method consisting in creating temporary images on walls by removing dirt from
its surface using a piece of cloth or a high-power washer.
Reverse graffiti has sometimes been used for advertising but it is also used by artists such as Moose to deliver
specific messages.

C. Y
 ou can read the following messages on the wall: “CUT CO2 FROM
CARS – GREENPEACE” and “MERKEL & SARKOZY – DRIVING CLIMATE
CHANGE – GREENPEACE”. What message do you think is conveyed
by these graffiti?
Write between 80 and 100 words. Use modal auxiliaries and expressions for probability. You can use words
or expressions from the word box.

Word box
activists - militants
a protest – to protest
to catch people’s attention
passers-by / onlookers
climate change – global warming
to join a cause - to get involved

• Check your answer.

2. Activity 2: Counterculture or mainstream? ( - 2h)

A “counterculture” (or “counter-culture”) is a movement that challenges the codes and traditions imposed
by what is called “mainstream” society. “Mainstream” is here equivalent to “conventional”.
You will soon watch the second part of the video “A brief history of Graffiti” and study its impact on society
over the years, in the 20th century. But first, discover some of the most famous graffiti and street artists.

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A. Famous street artists and their work
Take a look at these screenshots from the video you watch in Part 1 and match each of them with a
description. If you don’t know the artists, you can search for some information online.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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 Girl with balloon is an iconic piece of art by Banksy, an anonymous British artist whose work
can be seen around the world. His messages are often satirical and political.

Darryl McCray painted graffiti on an elephant in the Philadelphia city zoo in 1971 on which he
wrote: “I’m Cornbread and I’m alive” to stop rumours of his death.

Keith Haring was an American artist whose pop art and graffiti-like work became a symbol
for street art culture in the 1980s.
His drawings look like chalk outlines of figures or dogs. He addressed political and societal
themes in his later work.
My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love (or Fraternal Kiss) was painted on the Berlin
wall by Dmitri Vrubel, in 1990.
It depicts Leonid Brezhnev (Russian) and Erich Honecker (German) in a fraternal embrace,
reproducing a photograph from 1979 during the 30th anniversary celebration of the
foundation of the German Democratic Republic.

OBEY was designed by Shepard Fairey, an American street artist who became widely known
during the 2008 U.S. presidential election for his Barack Obama “Hope” poster.

Posters were used for propaganda during World War 2.

B. Detailed comprehension
You will now focus on the evolution of modern graffiti-making by watching the remaining half of the video
you watched in the first part. You will watch 3 extracts and answer some questions in order to check you
have understood the content.

Extract 2:

Video 3

a. In the 1960s, which two American cities became centers for street art?
b. What did the tag often allude to?
c. Which three nouns used in this extract can sum up the three conditions under which the movement
could spread?
• Check your answers.

Extract 3:

Video 4

a. Which two key issues are essential to understand the evolution of graffiti?
b. What other movement is the evolution of graffiti associated to?
c. What did graffiti artists paint on? What do you think they did it for?

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d. What did the Nazi party and the resistance groups use the streets for during WW2?
e. What did the Berlin Wall become the symbol of?
f. Reformulez brièvement en français ce que cette vidéo vous apprend :
— Quels sont les points clés de l’évolution du graffiti ?
— Dans quel contexte cette évolution s’inscrit-elle ?
— Comment la rue est-elle instrumentalisée que ce soit par les artistes ou les partis politiques ?
Vous pouvez vous enregistrer afin de réécouter votre reformulation et l’autoévaluer.
— Avez-vous bien décrit les différents mouvements?
— Montrez-vous les liens entre les exemples donnés ?
— Avez-vous donné des détails ?
• Check your answers.

Extract 4:

Video 5

a. In what way has street art become mainstream? Select two answers.
 Since the 1980s, street art has been exhibited in museums and art galleries.
 Graffiti can now be tagged inside buildings.
 Street artists want to remain anonymous.
 Graffiti is used for advertising.
b. Today, graffiti is not only seen as a destructive act. What else does it represent?
c. What is today’s debate about?
• Check your answers.

C. Language skills: phonology

a. Listen to the first 30 seconds of the video again or listen to the pronunciation of the following words
online: www.macmillandictionary.com . Then, underline the stressed syllables of each word. What do
you think is the rule?
Creation / Admission / Appropriation / Definition
• Check your answers.
b. Classify the following words from the video according to the pronunciation of the letters in bold:
Brought / out / underground / although / about / boundary
You can hear the sounds online: Follow this link http://www.macmillanenglish.com/pronunciation/
interactive-phonemic-charts/
If you click on the symbols in the phonemic chart. You will notice that there are two charts, one for
British English and one for American English, as there are a few differences.

/aʊ/ /əʊ/ /ɔ:/ (UK)   / ɔ/ (US)

• Check your answers.

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D. Graffiti can now be seen in museums. Do you think it is the right place
for street art?
Record your opinion. Speak for 1 or 2 minutes using appropriate expressions to
• Give your opinion
• Say whether you agree or disagree
• Express concession if necessary
Try to justify your opinion by giving examples or arguments. You can use the following words and expressions:

Expressing
Expressions used orally Expressing agreement Expressing concession
disagreement
To my mind,… I agree with .... I’m not sure I go along Yet
with that view....
To be honest… I totally agree with .... Nevertheless
I don’t really agree with
Personally speaking, I Definitely.... However
that idea...
believe that,…
Absolutely.... Still
I agree up to a point,
From what I gather,…
but... On the one hand / on the
As far as I am other hand
Well, I don’t quite agree
concerned,…
with the fact that… Despite / in spite of +
If you ask me,… noun
Some people may
disagree with me but…

3. Activity 3: Brandalism ( - 1h30)

You will now read an article introducing an innovative use of street art to reclaim public space.

Methodology:

How to read a longer text

The text you will have to read and study is quite long. You need different strategies.
First, you may want to print the text in order to be able to read it better.
Second, check how the document is organized (subtitles, number of paragraphs etc.)
Then, scan each part to know what the general topic is. Scanning involves reading only meaningful words such
as nouns and verbs.
Finally, read the questions to know what information to look for and focus on details to find the answers.
Do not hesitate to use a dictionary to check on definitions or translations of unknown words:
www.macmillandictionary.com or www.wordreference.com for example.

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A. R
 ead the whole text using the tips given above and answer the following
questions
a. Brandalism is a portmanteau word – a word that combines the sound and meaning of two words. Can
you guess the two words being combined here?
b. What do you think they target?
c. In your own words, give a definition of “brandalism”.
• Check your answers.

‘Brandalism’ street art takes aim at advertising

Drawing inspiration from the long history of protest art, a group of guerrilla street artists have set about
reclaiming urban space from advertisers and the big brands they represent. They call it “Brandalism.”
In five cities across the UK, artists have been busy reclaiming public space one billboard at a time.
By re-appropriating just 37 of the 100,000 billboards in the UK, the Brandalism project has caused quite
a stir. The Outdoor Media Centre which represents outdoor advertisers has vowed to quash the project as
quickly as possible.
But Brandalism activists have other ideas.
Simon Templeton and Joe Elan head the group behind the Brandalism project - one of the largest
reclamations of outdoor advertising space in UK history.
They’re using art as a form of self defence to “challenge the dominance and authority, and also the
legitimacy of the advertising industry,” Elan explained at the TEDx “Crossing Borders” conference in Berlin
last week.

Doing battle in the urban arena

The group draws inspiration from a long history of social and artistic movements, including the
Situationists, Dadaists, and Adbusters (known for their spoof advertisements), that aim to reclaim public
space while disrupting consumer and capitalist culture.
“It’s our public space as well. You have a choice when you read a magazine, turn on the television, or turn
on the radio. You have an agency over that. You can choose whether you engage with it or not. On the
internet you can block it out if you want. Whereas in the public realm there’s no choice to opt out,” Joe
Elan said.
Templeton said that the guerrilla artworks they’ve installed on billboards around the UK aim to
communicate honestly with the viewer, to get behind the mechanics of the industry and look at the
broader affects of advertising on society.
Brandalism isn’t about targeting any one brand in particular: it’s about a critical assessment of the
advertising industry as a whole. That includes “the environmental repercussions from this unchecked kind
of consumerist frenzy that is encouraged,” Elan said.
The 26 international artists involved in the Brandalism project tackle a range of issues from debt and
propaganda, to climate change, consumer and cultural values.
UK artist Hannah Adamaszek’s work addresses the issue of body image in relation to the widespread use
of underweight models in advertising. Her work depicts an emaciated woman surrounded by splashes of
pink and red impressions of beauty.
Adamaszek chose to take part in the Brandalism project because she was inspired by its aim to address
the destructive role of the advertising industry on society. Like Elan and Templeton, she hopes that
Brandalism can help initiate discussion and social change around a range of issues.

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Climate of consumerism
Another Brandalism artwork by Polyp was installed outside of Salford Gas Works in Manchester. Called
“Earth Candle,” it depicts the Earth melting.
Templeton argues that we need to look critically at consumer culture and its impact on the environment.
“What is the end result of trying to have constant economic growth on a planet of finite resources?”
Aside from the environmental costs, Elan and Templeton assert that the constant push of advertisers to
make us feel insecure and unfulfilled without the products we’re encouraged to covet goes some way to
explaining the riots which broke out in London and other cities across the UK in 2011.
During the riots, people from poor backgrounds smashed their way to the products they were unable to
buy: sportswear, phones and designer fashion - products pasted on billboards around the estates but
priced out of reach.
Though there’s a more complicated discussion to be had around sponsorship and advertising, particularly
in relation to the subsidizing of public services, Templeton believes that advertisers themselves are all too
quick to wash their hands of any responsibility:
“Talk to advertisers and people that create these marketing campaigns and they’ll say ‘oh well it’s not
my fault, it’s just my job’ or ‘advertising exists anyway and there’s many different reasons why the riots
happened,’” he said.

Campaigning for clean cities

What would a city be like without billboards? It’s difficult to imagine for most of us, but in 2007 the world’s
fourth largest city, Sao Paolo, passed the Clean City Law to combat water, sound, air and visual pollution.
In the process they took down 15,000 billboards, outdoor video screens and ads on buses, and issued
fines totalling $8 million. Outdoor advertisers such as Clear Channel have fought the ban, but recent polls
show that 70 percent of the city’s inhabitants support it.
Sao Paolo also legalised public art, something which excites Elan and Templeton because they believe it
brings a cultural vibrancy to the city. “It creates environments which people may find more inspiring or
engaging and interesting,” Elan said.
Could something like that happen in a European city? The activists behind Brandalism believe so.
“In recent Mayoral elections in the city of Bristol in England, some of the candidates were talking about
limiting or reducing the amount of outdoor billboard space,” Templeton said.
But big brands and their associates aren’t too happy.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and safeguard advertisers’ interests going forward. Advertisers
should be reassured that we take this situation very seriously and are actively protecting their commercial
interests,” Mike Baker, chief executive from the Outdoor Media Centre said in a statement to the press.
In the meantime, Templeton has a word of warning for advertisers who are eyeing Brandalism as just
another opportunity to cash in:
“If anyone’s thinking out there ‘ooh I could use this in my new marketing campaign’ - forget it - because if
you do, we’ll find your adverts and take them down again.”

Cinnamon Nippard, © DEUTSCHE WELLE, 2012

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B. Read the text again and try to understand details. Answer the following
questions:
1. Part 1: Read the article from the title of the article to “at the TEDx
“Crossing Borders” conference in Berlin last week.”
Can you draw a parallel between outdoor advertisements and street art? Can you think of a paradox?

2. Part 2: Read the part entitled “Doing battle in the urban arena”
1. According to Joe Elan, what is the difference between the ads you can see on TV and the ones in the
streets?
2. Pick out the issues the project of “brandalism” tackles:

3. Part 3: Read the part entitled “Climate of consumerism”

1. According to Elan and Templeton, what is the link between the riots in London in 2011 and
­consumerism?
2. According to Templeton, how did the advertisers react?

4. Part 4: Read the part entitled “Campaigning for clean cities”

1. Complete the grid :

Place
Date
Purpose of Clean City Law
Ads
Street art
2. What is Templeton’s reaction to the advertisers’ behavior?
 He accepted to work for “Outdoor Media Center”, an advertising agency.
 He is willing to help advertisers create more ethical advertising campaigns.
 He will never let them take advantage of “Brandalism” to make more money.
• Check your answers.

C. W
 ould you rather see an advertisement or graffiti on billboards? Do you
think that street artists are right to vandalize advertising boards?
• Write a few lines to give and justify your opinion. (about 80 words)
• You can use expression of contrast to oppose different ideas.

Language skills: How to express contrast

1. Different from: Street artists are different from traditional artists.

2. To differ from: Street art differs from « traditional » art in that it is illegal.
3. Unlike: Unlike traditional painting, street art is rarely seen in museums.
4. Whereas, while: Street artists aren’t often invited to galleries whereas painters’ canvases are often
exhibited there.

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 Language skills: How to give your opinion

Choose the best expressions according to the register you need:

Expressions used in academic writings Expressions used orally
I think that… To my mind,…
In my opinion,… To be honest (with you),…
From my point of view,… Personally speaking,…
As far as I am concerned,… From what I gather,…
It seems / appears to me that… As far as I am concerned,…
I would argue that… If you ask me,…
I do not believe that… Some people may disagree with me but…
I do not agree that…

D. Language skills on phonology: British and American pronunciation

Let’s focus on the difference between British and American pronunciation. Go to https://www.ttsdemo.com
and take the following steps:
• Select the language : English
• Choose a voice from the UK
• Type a word in the input box, for example “advert”
• Click on “Say it” and listen carefully
• Then choose a different voice from the US in order to hear whether there is a difference or not.
• R
 epeat with the 3 other words and mark the stressed syllables (underline it or use the symbol‘
just before the stressed syllable)
— Advert
— Advertisement
— To advertise
— Advertising
• Check your answers.

Vocabulary

You can say: an ad, an advert or an advertisement. An advertisement is made to persuade people to buy something.
Don’t be confused with “publicity” (uncountable noun) which is a way of attracting people’s attention.
“Advertising” is used to talk about the business of making advertisements or advertisements in general.

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4. Activity 4: Production de fin de chapitre: expression orale ( - 1h)
You are listening to a talk radio broadcast about “brandalism”.
The host (presenter) asks his audience to phone in and say if they agree that outdoor advertising is a form
of pollution. Listeners are also asked to express their views on street artists and the “brandalism” project.
• Take time to think about what would like to say and take a few notes. Phone the show and give your
opinion on air. Record yourself.
• Your speech should last about 2 minutes. DO NOT READ!
Look at the following checklist before starting and when listening to your recording.

Checklist
• First, make sure you have understood the following requirements.
• Once your task is completed, use the checklist again to assess your work.

The task: L J

• I respected both the format and the topic.

• I used arguments from the documents studied.
• I expressed my personal opinion.

Ability to express yourself orally: L J

• I sound confident: I can speak with a degree of fluency and spontaneity.

• My English sounds good: I can produce a clear, articulated speech.

Quality of the English language: L J

• I used appropriate grammatical structures and vocabulary + the expression

of contrast.
• I used simple sentences and transition words to link my ideas.

La partie 2 est maintenant terminée. Vous pouvez passer à la séance de révision du vocabulaire et des
faits de langue avant de réaliser la dernière activité de la séquence.

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