It was around about here

Background Although my discipline is typography, this research project concerns a wider, social applications of letterforms in public space. The work builds upon critical debates within the field of graphic design within the public realm. Referencing a wide range of sources, from art figures such as Lawrence Weiner and Barbara Kruger through to the urban design theories of Kevin Lynch and Deyan Sudjic, the work proposes that the conventionally commercial language of signage can be transformed into a work of common reflection and contemplation. Contribution The installation centres on idle thought – those stray thoughts that arise out of everyday and incidental observation. The line of (vinyl) text tells a story of a passer-by who, inspired by the vast expanse of a brick wall, is reminded that red is the first print colour that is sucked away by exposure to the sun. The passer-by then wonders if the surface of the sun is covered with images that have been lost from the earth. It is playful and contemplative in nature. By juxtaposing the medium (signage) and the message (quiet contemplation) it engages with Lynch's discourse on the readings / legibility of cities through memory and association, specifically as it relates to urban design. As such, the work represents a built case-study of inverting the intent of the medium of typographic signage. Significance This work was commissioned by the City of Melbourne’s ‘Test Sites’ program and won through a very competitive tendering system. It was installed in February 2020 and is still there. The City of Melbourne commissioned a film on the work which was the main vessel of disseminating the ideas to a national / international audience. The work was installed weeks before COVID hit Melbourne so any reviews etc have not been able to occur. This work did continue my trajectory of commissioned ‘public’ urban works that ultimately contributed to me winning a much larger legacy commission for Metro Tunnel.