“The Art of Flying” is an exhibition that looks at the history of fly posting. From its historical roots and its emergence into the visual language of the city. It’s a bold show that incorporated a symposium as well as workshops on screen printing and fly posting itself. Its closing round-table discussion summed up much of what the exhibition was about, raising some intriguing thoughts. Questions such has how the practice has evolved and what relevance it has in the digital age.
The Art of Flying
Featuring a mix of workshops, discussions and creative sessions. The exhibition turned a familiar urban practice into a space for exploration and debate. Pulling together the threads of a unique urban culture, one whose tales have often been clouded.
Many of the stories are rooted in the social history of the streets. The people who made it happen, artists and curators all coming together to bring this hidden history to the fore. Examining how fly posting has developed over time. Then exploring why it remains such a vital, and sometimes subversive, part of urban culture.
A Brief History of Fly Posting
Fly posting’s roots dig deep into the urban landscape of the late 19th century. It was then, when crowded, fast-changing cities needed new ways to communicate with the masses. Long before the digital age, posters became the public’s newspaper. A splash of ink that carried announcements for everything from music hall acts to political protests.
Fly posting was not new but would grow up with the modern city itself. The practice flourished in Britain’s bustling streets, where virtually any surface became a platform for spectacle, advertisement or activism. Over time, these subversive sheets also evolved artistically. Combining bold visuals and clever text to capture attention and imagination.
Protest, Punk, and the City’s Changing Voice
Eventually, through the 20th century, fly posting became woven into the fabric of city life. Not just as advertising, but as a vehicle for political movements, grassroots activism, and emerging subcultures. Posters announced everything from worker strikes to jazz nights, anti-war protests to punk gigs. Their style evolved too, shaped by developments in graphic design, mass printing, and photography.
As new social and cultural movements sprang up, fly posting became a favoured tool for those seeking to challenge authority, broadcast dissent, or simply stand out in the noise of city life. The walls themselves became sites of contest and creativity. Sometimes celebrated, sometimes swiftly cleaned and often the subject of legal battles as city authorities sought to regulate public space.
By the late 20th century, fly posting was both a symbol of rebellion and a recognized form of urban expression. Posters layered over one another created living archives of a city’s passions and conflicts. Becoming ephemeral, yet powerful reminders that the streets could speak just as loudly as any official voice.
The Rise (and Challenge) of Digital
Fast forward to today. Street walls now vie with digital feeds and endless online scrolls. Posting a message might mean a hashtag, not a bucket of wheat mixed with water. However, as artist Mark Titchner observed during the roundtable:
“Posters on the street are the original alternative space. Digital is powerful, but it’s a bubble. Most people still live in communities and walk the streets.”
Digital Impact
The digital revolution has redefined how messages are shared, found and forgotten. On social media, art and activism compete with viral videos, targeted ads and algorithmic feeds. All fighting for attention in a landscape saturated with content.
There’s also the challenge of transience. Digital posts can go viral but are often scrolled past in seconds. While a fly poster, battered by weather and layered over time, lingers in the public space. The rhythms of the street, wandering, pausing, noticing. All are lost in the rapid-fire environment of digital platforms, where engagement is measured in clicks, not genuine encounters.
Re-enforcing Behaviour
Reaching the public through the screen also brings new barriers. Algorithms curate what users see, often reinforcing existing tastes and beliefs rather than offering true surprise or dissent. As a result, digital campaigns risk preaching only to the converted. The analog spontaneity of a fly poster does the opposite. Still offering the chance to catch anyone and everyone unaware.
Despite this, brands do flock to the digital space and fine-tune ads to user data. It means that independent and grassroots posters need to work harder to cut through the noise. Online, visibility is often paid for, making it tough for unfunded activism or experimental art to claim attention.
Despite these obstacles, the struggle is also an opportunity. The rarity and physicality of fly posting is in contrast to digital’s relentless speed. Can a real-world poster feel even more impactful? Something that becomes a living piece of public dialogue and not just background noise in a feed.
The Persistent Power of Paper
There’s something unmistakable about the impact of a physical poster — its weight, its texture, its realness says Martin Gray:
“It’s a thing. The feel of cheap, freshly-pasted paper, the satisfying smack as it bonds to the wall, the faint smell of glue lingering as you step back to admire a job well done.”
The Street as a Living Archive
Unlike pixels on a screen, fly posters are built to interact with their environment and their community. They weather in rain, fade under sunlight, peel at the edges and get overlaid with fresh ideas or tags. Every mark, every wrinkle becomes a record of that journey. An evolving artifact shaped by time, weather and human hands.
That physical presence gives fly posting a sense of authenticity. A poster on the street says, “I was here.” It becomes part of the urban landscape, woven into the city’s daily rhythm. People pause on their walks, run their hands over wrinkled paper or snap a photo to remember or share.
Boards and walls become living archives that anyone can add to, shape or challenge. These layers, the old messages bleeding into new, tell stories of change, resistance, humour and collaboration. What starts as one artist’s vision becomes a conversation, open to all.
Ultimately, the power of paper isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s about impact. In a fast-moving digital world, fly posting stays rooted in place and memory. Posters becoming part of the city’s pulse. Audacious, tangible and gloriously real.
Physical Meets Digital: The Best of Both Worlds
Despite the differences in medium, digital and paper are getting ever more connected. Campaigns can often now feature a combination of both. Viral photos of poster based work can launch local art onto global platforms, inspiring people far beyond their physical reach.
Many campaigns have started to fuse street and screen. A wheat-pasted image might catch a passer-by’s eye. Then get snapped on a smartphone before ending up fuelling media coverage. All far beyond its intended patch of pavement.
Innovation is also driving new connections. Contemporary fly posters might now incorporate QR codes or augmented reality elements. Inviting viewers to scan and unlock video art, further reading, or interactive experiences. The interactions taking place in these circumstances directly linking the two.
Remaining Barriers and Breaking Them
Fly posting continues to face significant hurdles. Tight restrictions on public space, stricter regulations and constant oversight from both authorities and private security. It all makes it harder than ever to leave a mark. Legal challenges, including fines and fast-removal teams, have become a frequent frustration.
Despite these obstacles, ingenuity endures. Tactics like ad busting, or creatively subverting the familiar language of advertising, offer new ways to reclaim visibility and provoke surprise. Turning even commercial spaces into canvases for alternative messages.
Collective action can also play a part. Flash-mob style poster runs in the early hours might bring a fresh wave of visuals to city streets before the day has even begun. This collaborative culture keeps the urban landscape dynamic and demonstrates the resilience and determination at the heart of fly posting.
Why It Still Matters
“The Art of Flying” exhibition and its concluding panel discussion made one thing clear. Fly posting stands as a powerful, ever-relevant form of public expression. It puts art and activism back on the street, outside gallery walls and curated space.
Fly posting amplifies those voices the mainstream sometimes ignores. It’s a megaphone for marginalised communities, grassroots movements and young creators looking for an audience. For many, seeing their culture or concerns displayed in public is a validating experience. One that can spark pride, solidarity or even new connections within a space.
The City Is Still Talking
“The Art of Flying” ultimately highlighted how fly posting continues to evolve while maintaining its essential role in public communication. The practice bridges art, activism and everyday life. Giving visibility to people and ideas often left out of commercial or digital spaces.
Despite changing technologies and tighter regulations, fly posting persists as a direct, human form of connection. It reminds us that communication can be local, physical and shared. That the city itself remains an active canvas for those who wish to speak through it.
The Art of Flying was an exhibition presented by UNCLE and supported by Build Hollywood and Flying Leaps. It is an immersive look into the social history of fly posting and the people behind it. This article is based on and inspired by the events final panel discussion. The exhibition ran from 31 October 2025 to 4 November 2025 at 1 Quaker Street in Shoreditch.
For more Inspiring City articles you will like, take a look at:
- Revolutionary Posters from the May 1968 Demonstrations
- Futures Past and Present Mural in Doncaster
- A Walk Through the Suffragette History of Kensington
Discover more from Inspiring City
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Awesome summary of a really stimulating event
Thank you mate was truly a great exhibition this one, so glad I was able to cover it
Superb post, really enjoyed this show and you’ve captured the key themes brilliantly and in such depth too.
Thank you so much Steve, really appreciate that. Really enjoyed this show