So while I was wandering around Florence I kept noticing these very awesome street sign interventions.
I love signs and loved how the artist was incorporating, building on, the canvases he had chosen.
[Although my tastes veer towards the ones with words - as on the blogect ThisisSignified I do over on Tumblr]
By chance, we happened upon the artist's studio, and saw some of his art, inspired by his street sign stuff, and had a brief, pleasant chat.
His name is CLET Abraham and he is French, but has been living in Italy for 20 years.
[The Pieta and Crucifx pieces above seem very appropriate to modern Italy]
I asked if he had a website and he said "No...
Google is my website"
Which was very awesome.
[His creative echoing of Keith Haring is more obvious in this piece]
[UPDATE: my mate Enrico found this video of Clet's signs]
So I googled him, and found this interview where he explains that all his work on the street signs uses removable stickers and are a reflection on 'common visual space':
As a professional in the world of visual space, I feel called to intervene, both to notify the public of the absurdity of the situation, and to propose a constructive and respectful alternative.
My adhesives are developed to add a further level of reading [to street signs] constructed on the base of their original signification in order to maintain its utility but give it some intellectual, spiritual, or simply amusing interest.
Utility with intellectual, spiritual, or simply amusing interest - that sounds like a brand behavior I can get behind, I thought.
Which was funny, because then I read Gareth's Post on Thinking and Making Small and saw he agreed:
2. Be useful, interesting, entertaining and playful in the service of people
Preferably all four of the above, at least three.
