24 Aug 2016

Light Capsules

At the 2016 London Design Festival it was a pleasure to collaborate with Adobe Creative Resident and experiential designer Craig Winslow to how Light Capsules x Ghostsigns. We worked together to deliver a series of five site-specific installations that brought the city’s ghostsigns back to life through the medium of light. The project was picked up by Creative Review and Fast Co Design, among other media, and coincided with the launch of my Ghostsigns Tours App. [The app no longer exists, but the tours are available digitally.]

To create the projections, Craig used a variety of techniques to analyse contemporary and archival photographs of the signs. These were then projected at night onto the original signs. The projections allowed the signs to be appreciated as they may once have looked without interfering with them as often happens with painted restorations. The technology employed also allowed multiple layers (‘palimpsests’) to be teased apart and viewed individually.

In the middle of the series of site-specific installations, a blank wall on Great Suffolk Street was commandeered for the purposes of bringing ghost signs from six continents to London for a virtual world tour. The event was accompanied by a light capsules cocktail created by The Distillery Bankside, and live lettering demonstrations from Mike Meyer who also produced the promotional showcard.

These installations at the London Design Festival were part of an ongoing series being developed and delivered by Craig as part of his Adobe Creative Residency. They were produced by Sam Roberts of Ghostsigns. Thank you to all of the following individuals and organisations that made the project possible through their time and support:

• Everyone that came to see the live installations;
• All those whose photographs featured in the virtual world tour installation;
• Mike Marchlewski for the excellent photographic and video documentation;
• Carol J Moir for her beautiful photos of the Stoke Newington palimpsest;
• Projection Artworks for equipment and technical support;
• The Distillery/Hilton Bankside, Popped, Most Art Centre and The Green Room for hosting equipment and guests;
• Mike Meyer Sign Painter for his showcard and ‘live lettering’.
• Southwark Council, Hackney Council, Better Bankside and the Hackney Society for support on permissions, licensing and resident liaison.