Billboard Utilising Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions, or B.U.G.A. U.P. is an Australian subvertising artistic movement that detourns or modifies with graffiti billboard advertising that promotes something they deem unhealthy.
The movement started in inner-city Sydney in October 1979 and has been active ever since, although the late 70's and early-mid 1980s is considered their most active period. Many of the members came from professional and university-educated backgrounds. A founding member was Bill Snow, who first started to graffiti tobacco billboards, and continues to be active in anti-smoking and littering campaigns. Together, Bill Snow, Ric Bolzan and Geoff Coleman coined the acronym BUGAUP and began adding it to the graffitied billboards, to link the graffiti to a movement rather than the random activity of individuals.
The movement aimed mainly at Cigarette and Alcohol advertising, often blanking out letters and adding others to promote their view that the product is unhealthy. Cola and soft drink ads were also targeted.
The movement did not formalize itself as a group with memberships or meetings. Graffitists "joined" by signing the BUGAUP name to their work. BUGAUP graffiti spread rapidly across Australia and then overseas.
Former NSW politician Arthur Chesterfield-Evans was a member of BUGAUP before entering politics.
Other well-known BUGAUP members were the late Lord Bloody Wog Rolo and Fred Cole.
Famous quotes containing the words billboard, unhealthy and/or promotions:
“Just because you live in LA it doesn’t mean you have to dress that way.”
—Advertising billboard campaign in Los Angeles, mounted by New York fashion house Charivari.
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”
—C.S. (Clive Staples)
“For a parent, it’s hard to recognize the significance of your work when you’re immersed in the mundane details. Few of us, as we run the bath water or spread the peanut butter on the bread, proclaim proudly, “I’m making my contribution to the future of the planet.” But with the exception of global hunger, few jobs in the world of paychecks and promotions compare in significance to the job of parent.”
—Joyce Maynard (20th century)