Why billboards?
Picturing Pigs is a photographic advocacy project dedicated to depicting pigs in a positive manner. We began with two billboards of happy pigs on I-40 in Duplin and Sampson counties—the two counties with the highest pork production in the USA. In these locations hogs outnumber the human population by 29:1, however you will likely never see a pig at all.
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We believe imagery is powerful. Most pigs are hidden away, by design, so we wanted to make them more visible.
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Eastern North Carolina is one of the largest hog producers in the nation. By putting up images of happy pigs along I-40, we hoped that people driving through the area might contemplate pigs.
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Our billboards have reached XXX.
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By sharing stories of pigs online, we hope to connect people to pigs. Learning about their lives and habits might help promote care and empathy. Join us on Facebook.
Billboard Locations
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Dozer
Billboard exit 384 (Duplin County) facing west, visible heading toward Wilmington. On view from May 2024—present.
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Iris and Breanne
Billboard exit 384 (Duplin County), facing east—visible heading toward Raleigh. On view from June 2023—present.
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Daisy
Billboard exit 353 (Sampson County), facing east heading toward Raleigh. On view from June 2023-May 2024.
Our billboards feature happy pigs.
They are installed on I-40 in Duplin and Sampson counties (North Carolina)—the two counties with the highest pork production in the USA. In these locations hogs outnumber the human population by 29:1, however you will likely never see a pig at all. They are hidden away in large-scale factory farms where their social, mental, emotional, and physical needs are ignored as their bodies are fattened up in preparation for humans to consume as pork. Instead of showing this reality, we call attention to the lucky few who are able to live the full extent of their life and express themselves as individuals. We hope this work gives pause to anyone who consumes meat, not out of guilt, but out of love and compassion.