General Idea
AIDS streetcar project

From 3 September to 14 October 1990, some of Amsterdam’s streetcars were adorned with an Aids logo, which was conceived and designed by General Idea. Emulating Robert Indiana’s famous ‘Love’ sign, the quintessential symbol of the 1970s, the three man ensemble, General Idea, designed a logo that would bring Aids to the attention of the public and break the powerful taboo that surrounded the disease at that time. The streetcar project was an extension of General Idea’s contribution to the exhibition, ‘Art meets Science and Spirituality in a changing Economy’, which took place in Museum Fodor. This exhibition took place against the backdrop of a symposium carrying the same title and General Idea’s installation consisted of, among others, wallpaper and posters featuring the Aids logo. During the symposium the importance of the aids project was proven by the fact that the symposium was now being confronted with a concrete social and scientific issue.

Prior to Amsterdam’s streetcar project, General Idea had realized around twenty other projects on the same issue in various countries including America, Canada, France, Germany and Italy. Although the used medium varied and the logo also appeared on paintings, General Idea mainly employed advertising materials such as posters, billboards and light boxes.

(Véronique Hoedemakers)