In the United States, advertising is so ubiquitous that when you’re not surrounded by billboards and video screens it almost feels creepy. Just imagine if an iconic U.S. intersection or thoroughfare such as Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip, or Hollywood Boulevard suddenly went ad-free. It would feel pretty empty, right?
Back in 2006, the São Paulo, Brazil, cityscape was so cluttered with advertisements, both legal and illegal, that the city was plagued by what the mayor called “visual pollution.” On New Year’s Day 2007, the Lei Cidade Limpa (Portuguese for “Clean City Law”) took effect in São Paulo, and 15,000 billboards and 300,000 storefront signs were taken down. Photographer Tony de Marco was there and took some amazing pictures of a city in transformation.
(H/T Tony de Marco)


















Ladder leads out of darkness.Photo credit
Woman's reflection in shadow.Photo credit
Young woman frazzled.Photo credit 
A woman looks out on the waterCanva
A couple sits in uncomfortable silenceCanva
Gif of woman saying "I won't be bound to any man." via
Woman working late at nightCanva
Gif of woman saying "Happy. Independent. Feminine." via 
Yonaguni Monument, as seen from the south of the formation. 


