Gallery
Experiment overview
A direct action campaign that moved from digital critique to physical intervention, spray-painting “FAKE” on luxury boutiques to challenge post-pandemic returns to consumerism.
Born from disappointment when COVID restrictions lifted and people immediately rushed back to shopping centers, this project represented my frustration with society’s failure to use the pandemic as an opportunity for reflection and change.
Main objectives
This project translated digital critique into physical action by marking luxury retail spaces with the word “FAKE” to create visible disruptions in consumer environments.
Emerging from my disillusionment after seeing society rapidly return to pre-pandemic consumption patterns despite the opportunity for reflection, this grassroots intervention aimed to provoke public discourse about authenticity, value, and our relationship with material goods.
By moving FAKE campaign beyond digital spaces into the physical world, I sought to create a more immediate and unavoidable confrontation with these questions.
Achieved results
The physical interventions generated significant attention, with media coverage and public discussion far exceeding the impact of the previous stage of the campaign which was conducted only in digital.
Main reflection
This experiment revealed the dramatically different impact of physical versus digital activism actions in public space created conversations and reactions that social media posts never could.
I learned that maintaining anonymity would have extended the project’s impact, as my public acknowledgment of responsibility shifted focus from the message to the messenger.
The success of this physical intervention compared to its digital predecessor taught me a valuable lesson about embodied activism. When critique materializes in physical space, it gains a power and persistence that digital interventions rarely achieve.