MANILA – October 21, 2013 – EDSA is notorious for being grimy, polluted, congested and generally unpleasant, even as millions of people pass through it daily. For most drivers and commuters, passing through one of the country’s busiest thoroughfares is hardly an enjoyable drive.
Earlier this year, however, artists made the road a little bit more pleasant to pass through using Boysen KNoXOUT paint, as part of a campaign by TBWA\SMP.
The campaign, which earned a silver trophy at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity earlier this year, will cover 8,000 square meters along EDSA, and claims to be the equivalent of planting 8,000 trees.
Five areas along EDSA have been painted so far, with different designs in each area. The first air-cleaning paintings were done in the San Lorenzo village area in Makati, featuring sea creature-inspired artwork by Bogie Ruiz.
Walls under the bridge at the Ortigas-EDSA intersection were painted next, featuring geometric patterns by Baby and Coco Anne of Studio B+C. The third project featured stylized intertwined pipes in bright colors done by Tapio Snellman.
The fourth set of paintings were done in the Pasay Tramo area, with charts and graphs designed by Erika Tan.
The latest set of paintings were done along the Rockwell Wall between Buendia and Estrella. Designed by the TBWA design team and art directors, the paintings feature a forest of "tree lungs," symbolizing the air-cleaning properties of the paint.
"They say trees are the lungs of the earth and what a brilliant way to plant trees along one of the most polluted thoroughfare in Manila using Boysen KNoXout Paint. Fact is, a square meter of the paint is able to clean up noxious fumes equivalent to one mature tree," TBWA said.
The agency shared that so far, the response to the project has been positive.
"The MMDA Chairman liked the designs, so he gave us additional space. For commuters, the tree lungs are a welcome sight," they said.
Three more designs are in production to fill more areas along EDSA before the year ends. According to the agency, they are currently discussing plans for expansion to other thoroughfares with the MMDA.
Photo from the BoysenKNoXOUT Project: EDSA Facebook Page
