by POHANNA PYNE

Some people consider postering a vital publicity tool for small bands playing the bar circuit. Others consider them a form of visual vandalism that merits fines. But now an attempt to find a solution to illegal postering in downtown Montreal is being launched by the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership (QDSP), a 26-member, non-profit urban revitalization organization that unites city officials and cultural programmers. The QDSP was formed two years ago as part of the city's plan to beautify the area between Sherbrooke and René-Lévesque and from Berri to Bleury.

The project provides billboards that posterers can use to advertise their events - the kind of events that are currently subject to fines for illegal postering (fines differ from borough to borough, but range from $85 for individuals to up to $1,000 for businesses). Preliminary research found that the majority of fines in the area are given to posters related to music events, so access to the billboards will be restricted to local shows during the pilot project's six-month trial period, which begins in September.

Finding an alternative to illegal postering is part of a long-term urban renewal plan, according to Anjali Mishra, director of projects for the QDSP. Mishra notes that simply removing posters without offering an alternative is not a viable approach, likening it to "getting a very large shot of antibiotics, as opposed to changing your lifestyle where it is healthier living."

Size matters

The project will see postering surfaces strategically placed on intersections along the designated zone of Ste-Catherine W. For now, there is only enough funding for six billboards, according to Véronique Paradis, pilot project coordinator for Société des arts technologiques, one of the QDSP members.

The billboards are not intended for random public use, she explains. The only material allowed to be posted is from venues previously identified from illegal posters in the neighborhood. In fact, larger venues, such as Spectrum and Club Soda, were not initially included on the selected list. However, Paradis says that after hearing about the project they requested and were granted access. She expects that other arts presenters will also be interested in using the billboards once they learn about them, which will prove problematic given the limited space.

The billboards were designed by Cédric Sportes and Antoine Laverdière, winners of a competition to present an idea that would address the concerns of the QDSP and funders (the municipal and provincial governments) as well as local artists and small venues. The billboards, which stand 84 inches high, are two-sided panels that provide space for either 81/2-by-11-inch or 11-by-17-inch posters, displayed in row formation, for a total of 172 spots.

The project is organized so that the venues are responsible for collecting images from artists or promoters. The image is then sent by e-mail from the venue to an office located at the Table de concertation de Faubourg St-Laurent, an umbrella organization of downtown businesses, residents and community groups. The images, printed in black and white, are then distributed by one person who is responsible for placing and maintaining the posters on the billboards on a weekly basis. For the duration of the pilot project, the service will be offered for free. However, if the concept is adopted by the city for further use, a fee may be introduced.

Street sounds, street sights

"The plan is doomed," says John Milchem, frontman for local band Starvin' Hungry and an experienced posterer. "Postering culture, which is street culture, is competitive and driven by individual, needed, desire. If you have some sacred space where posters are supposed to go, people are obviously going to cover it [with other posters].

"And the whole notion of people going out of their way to visit the postering site is moronic and completely out of touch with the audience for posters," he adds. "The reason for the repetition [of putting up posters everywhere] is because people aren't really going out of their way to look at posters. They notice them when they walk from one destination to another."

Sébastien Croteau, a representative for the Table de concertation, the Quebec Musicians' Guild and the project's planning committee, sees both sides of the disagreement.

"The problem of illegal postering is related to the lack of space available for publicity," Croteau says. "If we give fines without giving more space, that is when it becomes ridiculous. If we look at major producers, they already have the monopoly over large construction sites through [independent postering company] Publicité Sauvage. And this is not the kind of publicity that the small venues can afford, nor the artists who play in these venues. Illegal postering is one of the only sources of publicity that these people have. This culture has to make itself seen. We have always seen the emerging culture be isolated from the mainstream culture."

Art on trial

Nearly 20 years ago, Publicité Sauvage successfully lobbied for legalized postering on the city's temporary construction barriers, now one of the only legalized postering surfaces in Montreal. Isabelle Jalbert, an employee at Publicité Sauvage, points out that some posters the firm is contracted to display for major cultural events, such as international festivals, are considered fine art and archived at the Quebec National Library. However, other posters found in the street are treated, much like graffiti, as acts of vandalism.

Treating posters as an art form is important, says Milchem. They represent "a vital expression of culture. It's culture breeding culture. You get a music culture, but you also get a visual culture coming out of it."

The law would seem to back him up. The debate about whether or not street posters are unruly pollution or legitimate forms of artistic expression has gone as far as the Supreme Court of Canada. In the precedent-setting 1993 case in Ontario, Ramsden v. Peterborough, the Supreme Court declared that street posters are legal forms of self-expression and are protected under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While banning posters is therefore illegal, the City of Montreal still maintains restrictions and imposes fines on people who put them up. In fact, according to Karine Massé, bureau representative for Côte-des-Neiges-NDG, between January 1 and July 20, 2005, there was a total of $23,080 in fines for illegal postering in her borough alone.

For more information on the project, visit www.quartierdesspectacles.com.