Letters on Top of Buildings
One of the many themes taken over the years in traveling across the US was a series of signs on top of buildings. This series, first put together as an exhibit for Domy Books in Austin and Houston Texas in 2009, was entitled "Letters on Top of Buildings.. a continuing project." There were seven images framed (14" x 19") in this show, and in 2012 I edited and added images to make 12 total. This exhibit was shown at Civilian Art Projects in May and June 2012 The "Grab Bag" entitled, "Your Souvenir of Letters on Top of Buildings" was added to this exhibit, a letter pressed envelope with an original 8x10 gelatin silver print of one of nine selected images from this show. This Grab Bag is now number two in a series and in an edition of 59. Grab Bag one was a true grab bag where 15 postcards were contained within a letter pressed brown bag that was sewn shut. The prospective buyer would not know the contents until he or she purchased the bag.
I remember as a child, cruising the elevated freeways of Los Angeles provided a perspective like a bird flying. I enjoyed the solitude and focus of sitting in the back seat of my mother's car and looking out the window. Key points of interest for me, as a child, were the neon lit letters on top of buildings in Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles. Those I recollect are, "Jesus Saves", "Hotel Roosevelt" and the "Fontenoy". They are beautiful typographic sculptures that rejoice an era of quality construction and pride of the institution it boasts. The buildings stand tall, their crowns embellished with steel lettering in the city center. They are treasures found, and as more often than not, we neglect to look up and find them, especially now, because many are on top of abandoned buildings where the signs are not lit anymore and the attention of the viewer remains at street level.
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