Trouble in Logoland
Corporate detournament in Frankfurt

For the last two months, an anonymos group of young
artists have been manipulating company logos on
skyscrapers around Frankfurt. First the DG Bank sign
was trabsformed into the legendary Pacman Icon. with
the simple addition of a black spot. Next the illuminated
type on top of the Marriott Hotel was reduced to a more
profane “riot”. Both deeds were planed for weeks:
the working hours of security guards were observed,
staircases watched an dry rund undertaken. The artists
Opreparation included crash courses in wall-climbing
and esoteric research on subjects such as the exact size
of the Pacman dot. Nothing was damaged, nobody hurt
and the companies indifferent: both removed the
manipulations discreetly without further consequences.
But while it took the DG Bank two weeks to react, with
the altered display clearly visible in the centre of the city,
the hotel management didn’t wait that long. “Riot” had
been shining into the New Year’s night at a time
when all the bank buildings nearby were decorated with
spectacular lightshows to welcome the Euro.

Martin Pesch / frieze Nr.46 Mai 1999