Psycho by Adbusters & other work

Adbusters

Adbusters is a Canadian-based non-for-profit anti-consumerist, pro-enviroment organisation founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz. It is the brainchild of Kalle Lasn, an estonian-born documentary filmmaker.  He spent his childhood in a German refugee camp and Australia. Initially Kalle Lasn founded a market research company in Tokyo around the the 1960's but then eventually moved to Vancouver, Canada and for the next 20 years, he produced documentaries for PBS and more until a realization hit him.

Adbusters are world activists organisation full of talented designers and artists.  They always shake things up for the greater good,  they offer important information from around the world addressing issues such as artificial food and media, to send positive message. They like to exam the relationship between people, their physical and mental environment 'We try to coax people from spectator to participant in this quest. We want folks to get mad about corporate disinformation, injustices in the global economy, and any industry that pollutes our physical or mental commons.’ to get people to realise the authoritarian tools surrounding them everyday.

Psycho

Psycho is a poster based on the emails they have received from subscribers or fans who are concerned on the impact technology  and  pharmaceutical companies have on us. The email on the left is by Madison Miller who lives in Chico, California and part of her email goes like this, "Has the dependency on technology sucked the meaning out of life? So many people in our society depend on phones, internet and computers.  it is pathetic. Are my children going to have a childhood memories of playing outside…", She is worried about how we as people are unable to function with technology. Another email is by Ian S. placed on the right side of the finger. He spoke about his experience on with pharmaceutical companies, he was diagnosed with bipolar by a psychiatrist with a printed questionnaire and was prescribed 'Abilify, Lorazepan and Bupropion'. He read up on these medications and found out he could become addicted to them in a little as four weeks. Furthermore he as attempted suicide four times in five months after taking the said medications and nearly failed his college year. In short he was angry that people would even sell medications which can cause more harm then help "…fuck the pharmaceutical companies, their lobbyists and the psychiatrists they lobby. They nearly killed me…". When you read the emails you come to understand what the title psycho stands for. We, human beings are addicted to technology, constantly on it and referencing to Ian .S story, who was wrongly diagnosed with Bipolar by a 45 minute printed questionnaire, instead of person who could of easily communicated with Ian in order to get a more effective result. I think adbusters is trying to portray how we are the real psychopaths, depending on technology as if it is our lives.

Absolute End

This ad reads “Nearly 50% of automobile fatalities are linked to alcohol. 10% of North Americans are alcoholics. A teenager sees 100,000 alcohol ads before reaching the legal drinking age”. 

This Absolute ad says “Absolut Impitence” and the print states “Drink provokes the desire but takes away the performance” -William Shakespeare

Reference:

https://www.activistfacts.com/organizations/36-adbusters/