Billboards are strategically set up in high traffic areas, designed to catch our attention. They are positioned atop buildings, along highways, and in market squares. Even when devoid of advertisements, they continue to draw one’s gaze. The sculpture-like metal frames and blank canvases remind of things that have come and gone. Even in the absence of advertising content, a billboard remains a medium of communication. But when empty of advertisement, what message does it convey? Janne Riikonen’s book Notes For Our Legacy serves as a statement against the unsustainable culture of consumption and the values typically conveyed on billboards.
“For as long as I can recall, I’ve been bothered by advertisements—both their appearance and the values they most often promote. I wish I didn’t have to see them. The primary message of advertisements is very clear. Whether it’s a product, a service, an education, or a political agenda; they aim to sell something. Yet beneath this primary message lies a more subtle, subliminal note of inadequacy – You can do, look and behave better.
The work is a manifestation agains these messages, both primary and secondary. The values they promote and with whose terms all of this is done. The constant exposure to advertisements has inevitably contributed to people becoming more materialistic and focused on status. I believe that in a society not as saturated with advertisements, we would be more compassionate and considerate towards one another.” -Janne Riikonen
