MOMENT

Anti-war billboard campaign

Just before the Republic of Estonia’s birthday and on the eve of the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the exhibition “Moment” was opened on billboards to shake people out of war fatigue and to pose the question: What can we be grateful for in today’s unstable world?

In Õismäe, Mustamäe, and Lasnamäe, billboards displayed four views of a destroyed urban space. The works were brought onto media surfaces normally intended for advertising, to address the public—creating a parallel between real urban space and imagination.

ART DIRECTOR, CREATIVE LEAD: ESTOOKIN
PROJECT LEAD, CONCEPT: REBECA PARBUS

The Golden Egg Awards 2024

Outdoor media: Peace award
PR campaign: PR Shock award
Social campaign: Gold award

The billboard project turned into a campaign of its own because “Moment” sparked discussions on topics such as security, war fatigue, fear of war, geopolitics, crisis preparedness, and mental health.

It also raised questions within the advertising field:

  1. What is art and what is advertising?

  2. What is the function of contemporary media spaces?

Over the span of two weeks, across Estonian and international media outlets, we counted:

more than 52,500 reactions and over 4,500 comments.

The project was commented on by former Presidents of the Republic of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Kersti Kaljulaid. One may also interpret its influence in the speech of President Alar Karis on the 106th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.

“Moment” generated discussion not only in Estonia but also in Ukraine, Latvia, Finland, Poland, Germany, and Italy.

Photos: Andri Allas