Carapóllate

At the end of 2019, Madrid was facing a crisis. Even though the city had consistently surpassed the EU’s air contamination limits, the newly elected Mayor was trying to repeal the remaining measures aimed at reducing them to acceptable levels. Because of his decision, Madrileños would have to continue to breath in dangerous levels of air pollution, putting their health at risk.

Ironically, the COPE 25 climate conference was taking place in Madrid that year, with Mayor Almeida (locally known by his detractors as “Dick-face” or “Carapolla”) being invited to deliver a keynote speech. So as an agency that calls the center of Madrid home, we decided to launch a protest against his hypocrisy. We handed out protective masks – before they became all the rage in April 2020 – to COPE25 attendees printed with his famously off-putting smile, allowing anyone to protest his environmental policies by becoming a “dick face” just like him.