Watch out Banksy - reverse graffiti has arrived!

Associated media

Car manufacturer, Nissan, is highlighting London’s battle with air quality by using the 100% electric Nissan LEAF – the world’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV) – to power a striking piece of street art in the subway on Stations' Approach, Waterloo, London, which depicts the city’s skyline.

The car manufacturer commissioned Reverse Graffiti artist, Moose – the founder of his field – to create the large-scale mural, now on view.

Unlike traditional graffiti, Moose’s art is created by cleaning dirt off surfaces using a jet washer or wire brush, leaving a striking design in negative on the wall. Much of the dirt is caused by particulate matter from vehicle exhausts, levels of which often exceed guidelines and limits in busy areas of London and other European cities.

The artwork – which is on show in the subway on Station’s Approach, Waterloo – includes a host of London’s most famous landmarks: Buckingham Palace, The Shard, Battersea Power Station and The London Eye, to name just a few. Produced to highlight the growing issue of poor air quality across Europe’s biggest cities, it aims to showcase how much cleaner they could be if more people adopted electric vehicles.

In a world-first, the jet washer used to clean the wall was powered by the Nissan LEAF via the LEAF to Home equipment – a portable device that converts electricity from the car’s battery to provide as much as two days’-worth of power to a household on a single charge.

Before the artwork made its way onto the wall, Moose sketched the skyline by hand before creating stencils that were pieced together to produce the finished artwork, standing some 2.5 metres tall and 10 metres wide.

The campaign will place Nissan at the heart of the debate, leading the call for clean air and smarter cities. 

 I've been using reverse graffiti for fifteen years now, in fact I named it. My whole ethos is about highlighting the amount of pollution we endure daily using a very positive harmless method that never fails to ask questions about what we accept and what we shouldn't accept in our environment. For these reasons I was keen to be involved in this project, explained Moose, who originates from Leeds.

 Electric cars and alternative fuelling systems provide the brightest future we've ever known in the history of the automotive industry in terms of protecting our environment. 

It's a pleasure to be given the opportunity to create public art in this way and I'm very pleased with the iconic simplicity of the mural and its message.

Moose’s artwork is on show in London Waterloo and Nissan is encouraging the public to come out and see it for themselves.

Jean-Pierre Diernaz, EV Director, Nissan Europe, added:

This piece of art is a striking call to action that air quality is one of the biggest issues facing the citizens and visitors of Europe’s largest cities  today. It is a reminder that electric vehicles don’t have an exhaust to emit the kind of air pollution which has stained the wall Moose has created his piece on.

 Working with Moose to highlight the effect of air quality on our cities through a piece of art powered by the Nissan LEAF is an exciting and powerful way of reminding people about the benefits of zero emission vehicles.