- Words and Photos by The Echo Parker
The Lookout: Billboard Takeovers with Cloer and Kaler
If you’ve driven through any big city lately, you’ve seen posters for the latest Netflix series plastered against the walls of buildings you pass, and billboards screaming at you to buy whatever they’re selling. On some days in Los Angeles, you may be lucky enough to catch additions to those advertisements, not intended by the marketing team.
Ad Takeover artists alter the billboards to change the message, and get their name up high. While these changes to the billboard takeovers seldom last long, if you have impeccable timing, you may be lucky enough to see additions made by artists Cloer and Kaler.
The duo has been taking their art and creativity to new heights and risks in the same vein as Ron English and Thrashbird, taking over billboards with their art in highly congested areas in LA. Their recent takeover of a Stranger Things billboard sat on the famous Sunset Strip where it lasted for 4 days before being taken down....
Wanting to maintain the momentum they started, Cloer and Kaler got even more creative with their next takeover, a Stephen King IT billboard..
IT Chapter Two is in theaters today, starring Jessica Chastain and James McAVoy.
Planning for this new work was meticulous and lengthy; from planning out the color schemes to solidifying their design, Cloer and Kaler have a lot to consider artistically when doing this takeover. While important, the artistic side of the planning isn’t the only concern. Taking over a billboard brings levels of danger that many don’t consider.
WIP of Kaler and Cloer's Ad Takeover in LA
Cloer and Kaler have to consider the risks. From climbing up the billboard without falling off, maintaining stability on the rickety platforms they stand on to even getting arrested; the pair always face a likelihood of something going wrong. The endangerment they face matches the thrill and accomplishment of completing a successful takeover.
With all the planning complete, the pair get to work. Their design brings the story of the killer clown off of the screen and on the billboard. Their names are painted with extension pole rollers in a bright red, blending in with the movie title seamlessly. A child sized stuffed pair of jeans and raincoats with green boots seems to be holding onto two red balloons making it appear like Georgie crawled out of the sewer and onto the platform.
The IT billboard takeover survives for 10 hours before it is taken down, but that doesn’t keep it from existing in other places. People swarm in the short time the billboard lasts, hoping to see it in person during its short life, and capturing images the way paparazzi do celebrities. The exclusive photos of the takeover make their way onto Instagram feeds, where it will be enjoyed and reposted for quite some time. While the life of their billboard takeovers are short lived, Cloer and Kaler’s risk and vision lives on forever though the power social media and those who admire what they do.
Below are other billboard takeovers in LA recently by Cloer & Kaler:
(Photos Not Snapshots, by The Echo Parker)
