Australia
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Ghost Sign Hunting: Melbourne Seminar
I am very excited to announce a forthcoming seminar in which I will be speaking alongside Stephen Banham, author of Characters and something of a typographic legend, and Stefan Schutt, curator of the Lewis and Skinner archive and author of the Finding the Radio Book blog. It will be held on the afternoon/evening of Tuesday, […]
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Sydney ghostsigns from Finding the Radio Book
This and a number of other ghostsigns images from Sydney, Australia, are featured on the Finding the Radio Book blog. Stefan notes that he didn’t find a huge number on his visit there, many overlapping with those on the Preserve site. This could be due to the nature of the places visited i.e. more central […]
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Melbourne’s Ghostsigns with Finding the Radio Book
Finding the Radio Book is a fascinating piece of work being undertaken by Dr Stefan Schutt of Victoria University. It all started with a piece of paper floating in the wind and has now evolved into a research project focussed on the archival records of the Lewis & Skinner signwriting company who ceased trading in the […]
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The origins of painting on walls
I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the origins of painting on walls, and the evolution of the form over time, up to the current vogue for street art. While the walls of caves were not made of brick, they did nonetheless provide people with an early canvass for their painting. The transition from these depictions of […]
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Melbourne’s Milk Bars and the signs that adorned them
This is one of the shop signs found in this article which profiles the decline in Melbourne’s Milk Bars, retail outlets that once dotted the streets. The article features a collection of 22 other shop signs and fascias and was spotted by Stef on the investigatory Finding the Radio Book blog. The comments suggest that […]
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Australian ghostsigns profiled in this 2008 Stephen Banham article
Photo: Stephen Banham (Makes me want some Monty Leisurewear!) Full article here mainly focused on the hide and seek nature of many ghostsigns, including this line which echoes mine and Sebastian Groes’ urging against nostalgia: Instead of feeling mournful about the demise or entombing of these letterforms, perhaps we should embrace the dynamics of the ever-changing […]