by Steven D. Mathews, Librarian Assistant
On the third floor of the Yocum Library, you’ll find a wild magazine: Adbusters. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, this “Journal of the Mental Environment” is reader supported and completely ad-free. As its website (http://www.adbusters.org/) states: Adbusters is “fighting back against the hostile takeover of our psychological, physical and cultural environments by commercial forces.”
Instead of longform articles, as in most ad-supported mainstream news magazines, Adbusters features various forms of photography, graphic design, cartoons, drawings, comics, mock ads (called “subvertisements”), collages, and many other forms of pop art. There are very few text blocks, but when text accompanies a picture, it often appears in various languages, in handwritten fonts, or extreme sizes.
The March/April 2017 issue is titled “The Impeachment,” which contains themes related to both President Trump and President Obama. There are several pages depicting large crowds of protestors and revolutionaries. Another page shows Ivanka Trump and various pieces of clothing and jewelry from her brand. Small pieces of text explain that these items are not manufactured in the United States.
Other pages simply present tweets by President Trump. The issue is mind-bending because the pages suddenly flip halfway through, so you must turn the magazine upside-down to continue reading and gazing. Every page is eye-catching and provocative.
The extremely visual orientation of Adbusters might be because it was founded in 1989 by two documentary filmmakers, Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz. The material of the covers of each issue are also unique in their texture. Adbusters is thoroughly anti-capitalist and pro-environment. The organization has been credited with launching numerous protest movements, such as Occupy Wall Street.
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