A little taste of modernist style typography all made of thin pieces of iron bent to shape 3-dimensional
letters. An easy and once very popular way to achieve that fancy, sophisticated look. Still used but with
different letter forms. I have found these at very different places around Europe.
DEPARTMENT STORE SAGAM – Madrid, Spain
INFO – Kouvola, Finland
LVIVSILMASH WORKS – Lviv, Ukraine
MARKET – Madrid, Spain
Some of these letters are obviously hung the wrong way but after a careful look I still can’t seem to figure out
which ones and which way. Should all the shadows point to the lower right? Or maybe to the upper left?
Or perhaps these are two altogether different sets of letters mixed together…
This tells us a bit about the nature of the medium in alphabetic communication. Even though the letters themselves
are gone their image prevails on the wall, so now it’s the image that carries the shapes of the letters.
Although “Free Zone” brings to mind the controversial free trade zones in Jamaica this here is only the entrance
to a tourist shelter in the mountains near Madrid. It seems that someone has taken the freedom to give it a name
and even add instructions to help guests open the door.
I managed to catch a fast food restaurant façade in an imperfect, transitional state. It is only rarely that
the world’s leading corporations let themselves be seen in a condition other that clean and shiny. In any case
Spanish people are more relaxed with these issues which undoubtedly is an influential factor here.
Biig letters and quite nice traces of paint brush (or possibly roller) at work.
As for meaning I don’t know what this abbreviation stands for.
There’s something revealing about the exposed guts of this ex-restaurants medium of advertisement.
At the same time the leftover part becomes even more playful than initially intended.
Together they form a curious mixture of melancholy, naivety and rape.
This was my favourite wall inscription from the times when I used to live in Lavapiés quite near this place.
I smile every time I look at the little ‘c’ probably added only after the mistake in the word ‘dirección’ was noticed.
And what an ingenuous typographic solution!
More from Madrid (endless source of unexpected typographies) and this time with political flavour.
The popular “No to War”, widely used in recent times, comes strengthened with a decisive “Que No!”
For more insightful passers-by there’s also the symbol of a white dove (here quenched underneath
the powerful and dominant lettering).
