Carlsbad Art and Culture

A message, whether an advertisement, announcement or slogan, usually has the intent to ultimately sell something. It attempts to catch your attention and encourages you to give in with a monetary investment. Each time you are stopped by a public message, you are being targeted to buy, but the form of payment is not always the same.

Outside of the standard payment of currency, messages in the streets ask for payment of personal time. These products don’t have a dollar sign price tag, but ask for a few seconds to observe and possibly interact. You don’t take anything tangible home, but are rewarded with a possible intriguing analysis, a future conversation piece or a simple effort to help keep your neighborhood clean.

The currency of time, what have you bought lately?