Urban Prankster » toronto

Turning Flyer Boxes into Planters

Charlie Todd — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:05:54 +0000

We think this project by Toronto street artist Posterchild is pretty damn clever. He’s taken the empty flyer boxes littering the city streets and turned them into planters.

Posterchild explains:

I’ve always been amazed by the state of most flyerboxes. More often that not, they are empty. Some haven’t been filled in years. Yet, there they are: everywhere in the city- at every intersection. Taking up valuable sidewalk space. Some are supposed to offer free news and culture print publications that make revenue from ads, some are supposed to offer free junk-mail type publications, with the expectation that someone will stop and take one completely beyond me. A rare few are supposed to offer a free publication of a certain political or religious leaning- probably bankrolled by whatever church or group can finance the publication of that message. For whatever reason, a great many of them offer nothing but an empty box.

But that offers a great opportunity for some people!

Graffiti artists love them as a platform for their stickers and tags. People with trash but nowhere to put it love them as a makeshift receptacle for garbage.

I tried to think of better ways than “Garbage Can” to re-imagine the interior spaces of these flyerboxes- better ways to make use of the whole box- not just the exterior walls.

This is what I came up with. I think it’s pretty great, if I do say so myself. The boxes makes a perfect platform for planters- and with them you can guerrilla garden almost anywhere in the inhospitable concrete city! Best of all, it leaves the sides open for writers and artists.

…and with this “impending collapse of print media”? You may just see these appearing in old, abandoned Newspaper boxes.

See more photos: Flyerplanterboxes

You might also enjoy this similar project, also from Toronto, Poster Pocket Plants. Advertising posters are converted into planters.

Is Toronto the guerrilla gardening capital of the world?

Adding a Park to an Empty Lot
Super Hero Changing Station
Smell Graffiti

Accurate Plant Labels

Charlie Todd — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:13:57 +0000

Posterchild recently added some accurate plant labels to abandoned planter boxes in Toronto. He writes:

What are we sowing? What have we planted? It seems like we forget unless it’s labeled.

This is an attempt to highlight the “obvious-yet-invisible”, to encourage/shame municipal authorities into doing some real gardening with their many derelict planter boxes.

It is also meant to inspire Guerrilla Gardeners to take action of their own!!

See more photos.

Turning Flyer Boxes into Planters
New Improv Everywhere – A Handbell Choir Helps out a Salvation Army Bell Ringer

The Curse of Cheddar Bay

Charlie Todd — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:06:23 +0000

Fun Time Internet staged this prank in a Toronto Red Lobster. Gets crazy at 2:00, so stick around for it.

Keep Your Love Safe

Charlie Todd — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:03:13 +0000

For Toronto street artist Posterchild’s latest project he bought some dollar store padlocks, engraved them, and locked them to a fence on a city street.

Keep Your Love Safe

New Improv Everywhere Musical: I Love Lunch
Turning Flyer Boxes into Planters
Subway Sign Marriage Proposal

Bronze Fries and Coke

Charlie Todd — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:28:13 +0000

Toronto street artist Posterchild recently created gave the lions outside of the local HSBC branch an order of fries and a coke to enjoy.

More photos

Subway Sign Marriage Proposal
Turning Flyer Boxes into Planters
Super Hero Changing Station

Take a Photo, Leave a Photo

Charlie Todd — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:25:12 +0000

For Toronto street artist Posterchild’s latest project, he installed blue wooden boxes around town with a camera inside. He explains:

I made 5 boxes that contained dollar-store disposable cameras and marked them with “Take a Photo, Leave a Photo.” After retrieving the cameras (there were 3 still remaining), I developed the film and then framed and mounted the resulting photographs in the same spots!

The results are really cool!

You can see more of the photos on his site.

You might also enjoy this similar project with a disposable camera on a park bench.

Turning Flyer Boxes into Planters
Miranda July’s Eleven Heavy Things
Adding a Park to an Empty Lot

Seating Cap

Charlie Todd — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:08:13 +0000

Street Artist Posterchild has been adding his “Seating Caps” to pipes around Chinatown in Toronto. He explains:

These pipes- as pokey, uncomfortable, and rough as they are- have long ago been reimagined as benches, repurposed as public seating on a street that has none.

I just made them more comfy!

I call it a “Seating Cap”!

More photos and info.

Altered Delivery Menus
Blacktop Battlestar
Subway Sign Marriage Proposal

Mp3 Experiment Tour Dates Confirmed

Charlie Todd — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:04:15 +0000

Details are starting to come together for Improv Everywhere’s upcoming Mp3 Experiment Tour. The tour has now expanded to include Toronto. Note the new date for Chicago.

Tour dates:

The Mp3 Experiment 5: New York City
Saturday, September 27 at 3:15 PM at Governor’s Island [directions]

The Mp3 Experiment Toronto
Sunday, September 28 at 2:00 PM at Riverdale Park

The Mp3 Experiment San Francisco
Saturday, October 4 (time and location TBA)

The Mp3 Experiment Chicago
Sunday, October 5 (time and location TBA)

Complete instructions for each city will be online next week.

Cryptic Upcoming NY Event