So Wednesday marked the end of the second year in the life of this blog/website and I'm still quite amazed at how far things have come in such a short space of time. Last year I marked the first birthday with a video montage of some of my favourite signs collected. This year I'm offering up a little retrospective linking to some of my personal highlights from each of the last 24 months.
June 2007- The blog opensLittle did I know what I was getting into, this was by far my most prolific month as everything I'd been collecting was brought online for the first time. (More from
this month)
July 2007 - Peterkin mysteryThe first of many pieces of investigative work, this time on the well known Peterkin Custard sign from Clapham/Battersea. (More from
this month)
August 2007 - Redferns double billThe first of many 'reveals' caused by the replacement of billboards, one that was leapt on by many fellow enthusiasts. (More from
this month)
September 2007 - Me on TVAn amazing piece of publicity for the project which caused the most visits to this site in a single days. (More from
this month)
October 2007 - Colossal Media videoIt was fantastice to discover this short documentary film showcasing the work of this company that are keeping the craft alive in USA. (More from
this month)
November 2007 - Literary London articleThe first and most thorough article that I've been involved with. (More from
this month)
December 2007 - Landmarks Commission hearingA pivotal moment in my thinking around the preservation debate. (More from
this month)
January 2008 - Living St Louis videoAnother great little documentary, this time featuring William Stage. (More from
this month)
February 2008 - Jerry Johnson, WalldogAnother example of the craft being kept alive in USA, albeit tongue in cheek. (More from
this month)
March 2008 - It's all ArtOne of many artists using ghostsigns as a springboard for their own creativity. (More from
this month)
April 2008 - Leicester ghostsignsThe beginning of the national network of ghostsign enthusiasts, in this case Amy from Leicester. (More from
this month)
May 2008 - Herbrand Street muralA short lived discovery which became something of a story in the local media. (More from
this month)
June 2008 - Me on radioAnother great piece of publicity, this time with London anorak Robert Elms on the BBC. (More from
this month)
July & August 2008 - HolidayEvery ghostsign enthusiast needs a break!
September 2008 - Stuart FreeAnother artist with ghostsign influences, this time I got one of his pieces as a birthday present. (More from
this month)
October 2008 - Window paintingI only made one post in the whole of October, I can only guess my new job and dissertation were taking up my time.
November 2008 - Boyd Pianos repriseJust when you thought it had gone, hey presto its back! (More from
this month)
December 2008 - Emmanuel NouaillierAnother artistic discovery, this time operating out of France and working in miniature. (More from
this month)
January 2009 - Ultrabold articleMy second major article, this time in print. (More from
this month)
February 2009 - Oxford Times articleA quiet month but the nationwide interest was again apparent in this short piece from Oxford. (More from
this month)
March 2009 - Google street viewNot only is it fun to put in your home and work address but you can also use this technology to check out ghostsigns from all over the country. (More from
this month)
April 2009 - Jack Daniel's huntThe nationwide search for the new Jack Daniel's signs has produced some great results from all over the country. (More from
this month)
May 2009 - Booze & Fags videoThe first of my video montages to celebrate the work being done by everyone on the archive project. (More from
this month)
June 2009 - Time Out blogAnother piece of publicity but this time focussed on my own personal interest and journey. (More from
this month)
Next up...I will continue to write and the focus for the next six months is getting the archive off the ground. Watch this space.
This work is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence.
Sam Roberts at www.ghostsigns.co.uk
This is michaelpickard's photo of the Donovan Bros sign from round Spitalfields market, one that has undergone changes in recent years. He's both gone for black and white and also a fishbowl effect. Nice. Here's my effort for comparison and many more can be found here.
Here's a neat little thing, all the postcodes in the archive so far plotted onto a map. This gives a really good sense of just how much this is becoming a nationwide project thanks to all the efforts of those submitting their photos to the Flickr group. If you go to the map proper then you can zoom in and check out how many are in your local area.
I wrote a piece for the Time Out blog which covers a little of the personal journey I've been on over the last three years on the project. Its interesting to reflect on how far things have come in such a short space of time, especially considering that I've also moved house, completed a masters and changed jobs as well. I feel like the progress has really accelerated in the last month or so, long may it continue.
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