TO REFLECT, TO IMAGINE AND TO EXPLORE (CIRCA 20:20/21)

CIRCA transforms the way we interact with public space, bringing urgent messages of hope and change to the places once saved for insecurity and consumer envy. 2020 was a year in which we all pressed pause. Now we want to continue the habit, bringing a moment’s quiet reflection to one of the busiest commercial spaces on earth, cutting through the impersonal veneer of the corporate ad space with a human voice.

By creating a dialogue between artists and the public we’re shifting the tone of the billboard, building connections and a sense of community rather than delivering a distant, condescending monologue. Our mission is bold but clear, laid bare in the following manifesto and our statement of intent, designed to grow and expand as our project evolves. That’s because Circa is a living, breathing thing, sensitive to the world around it and the public that it serves:

1. We stand at a crossroads.
2. Faced with enormous challenges, we have a clear choice,
3. Take the road we’ve always taken, and pursue the future we were sold…
4. Bigger… brighter… louder… faster…
5. Or turn the other way.
6. Giving public space back to the people. Opening culture up to all.
7. This is a challenge on the traditional advertising space,
8. A daily takeover of the Piccadilly Lights by emerging and established artists.
9. It’s a break from the constant ticking of clocks,
10. And an alternative reality to the usual cycle of commerce,
11. One where possibilities exist and solutions emerge.
12. Because what if hope looks very different to how we imagined it?
13. What if progress meant taking a pause? To reflect, to imagine and to explore.
14. When we challenge the existing order, we create the conditions for change.
15. When we interrupt the status quo, we create the reverberations to rejig, reorder and realign.
16. Change is possible and art can light the way.
17. But only if we unleash its full potential,
18. To roam the streets and to live amongst us
19. Breathing fresh possibilities into everyday life.
20. Which path will you decide to follow?