The man walked along the métro platform. He carried a bucket and a short ladder; a satchel was slung over his shoulder. He put the bucket down and produced a folded square of paper from the satchel. Then, with the aid of a wide brush, he began pasting the paper onto the wall. It opened like an origami flower, transforming into a poster for a film called The Green Lantern.
I watched this scene with the same delight in 2011 as I had watched a similar one, as a young boy, on a Tube platform in the 1970s. Then, as now, it was like glimpsing the inner workings of a city. The technique for putting up advertising underground does not seem to have changed much, despite the complications that have transformed the media outside. I also realised how much I liked métro advertising. I regard it as a source of entertainment, even of culture: the posters for movies and plays, exhibitions and concerts. Waiting on an underground platform is one of life’s most boring activities – and those subterranean corridors are gloomy and depressing – so advertising adds both warmth and colour to the experience. I don’t even mind the guy with dreadlocks and shades selling furnaces. Another form of advertising I loved as a boy were the small planes that used to haul messages above beaches. I wonder if they still exist? Maybe I’ll find out soon. Have a great summer.
