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SIGN OF THE TIMES
The art of sign painting is alive and well
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Society's
obsession with instant gratification has rendered most high touch forms
of communication near obsolete. And, while nostalgia has resuscitated some traditional practices,
others have all but died. (Showing most tweens a typewriter typically
results in confusion about the whereabouts of the monitor.) But when it
comes to advertising, some brands are invoking the legacy of mediums
past, even in this world of sponsored tweets and viral videos. Indeed,
the time honored tradition of sign and mural painting is enjoying a
vibrant moment in the spotlight as of late:
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The Sign Painter:
For those unfamiliar with the sign painting trade, prepare to be enlightened. March 2010 marked the start of production for The Sign Painter, a documentary film chronicling the stories of several American sign painters. Directors Sam Macon and Faythe Levine, the latter of whom also directed the DIY documentary Handmade Nation
(and wrote the book by the same name), have already traveled to
Seattle, San Francisco and San Jose to interview both modern day
painters and legends of the craft. As they continue to film, Levine is
maintaining both a blog and Flickr account to document their journey.
One particular entry caught our eye: Macon and Levine met with
90-year-old Rey Giese
who has been a sign painter for 75 years and continues to convey his
art to the world passing by each of his works. Something tells us Sunset Daze has nothing on the stories he'll be telling in the movie.
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Up There:
The same company that brought us a high-tech augmented reality app recently produced a short film documenting a more grassroots approach to marketing. Sponsored by Stella Artois, Up There
is a documentary that delves into the lives of painters who spend their
time high above the streets of New York to create large-scale hand
painted outdoor ads. Highlighting the artistry and intense labor behind
this dying tradition, the film follows skilled craftsman as they paint The Ritual Project,
a 20 x 50 foot mural depicting the nine-step Belgian Pouring Ritual, in
NYC's SoHo neighborhood. (Complementing the narrative of Up There, Stella also produced a stop motion film that depicts the development of the mural over a span of three weeks.) Sign painting may not qualify as a subject for Dirty Jobs, but after watching Up There, we believe the perilous profession could make for a pretty compelling reality series.
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Colossal Media:
If you happen to spot a large-scale painted advertisement in an urban
area, chances are it's the work of Brooklyn-based Colossal Media. One
of the most renowned hand-painted advertising companies in the United
States, Colossal Media has created massive outdoor murals for clients
like Virgin America, Rockstar Games and even Banksy.
Nowadays, most large-scale advertisements are printed on vinyl and put
up in a matter of hours, but Colossal Media takes a different approach.
Their Sky High Mural artists spend full days painstakingly mixing their
own paint and using paintbrushes to apply the largest of ads by hand.
Kind of makes us feel pathetic for getting hand cramps from merely
penning a birthday card.
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* References to products and services in trendcentral do not imply our endorsement, but rather are intended to provide objective insights into emerging trends and examples of those trends. trendcentral is published by The Intelligence Group, a trend research and consumer insights company focusing on youth culture. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated Cassandra Report studies, please contact Noelle Weaver at 212-277-5244 or via email at nweaver@intelg.com.
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