Good Graffiti

So, the conservative municipal government of Madrid is beginning to ramp up for next month's electoral campaign. All over town these posters have been appearing in Metro stops and bus stations. The alcalde is pimping his construction projects that have been going on just about everywhere simultaneously in Madrid. These posters clearly seek to address his critics, who have complained about the cutting down of trees, increased traffic and pollution resulting from his projects. Thus these posters include photographs of Madrid as it appeared in the early part of the twentieth-century, with a heading that reads, "What would happen if nothing ever happened?" His point, we suppose, is that there must be new construction or the city would become stuck in the past. Here are two examples:


The area around Las Ventas, the Madrid plaza de toros, circa 1900s. And below, Gran Via at the beginning of the 20th century.


As you can see, one of our neighbors put sub-headings under the mayor's catch phrase as it appeared in our Metro station. On the first poster, the anonymous interlocutor responds, "Well, maybe we wouldn't be talking about climate change, for example." And on the second poster our unknown friend writes, "There would be less pollution and fewer cases of cancer, for example."

Not that we at amagomundi are against progress. Nor are we against the beautification of Madrid. But we do appreciate clever graffiti, especially when it responds so well to self-serving political advertising in the city's public transportation system.

The cost of this advertising campaign (television, radio, internet, newspapers and magazines) would be around 900,000 euros, although it has only cost the Ayuntamiento 140,000.