We spoke early on in the semester about Vancouver's Neon past. A past which still remains in parts of the city, the "Toys 'R Us" sign down on W. Broadway or the "Save on Meats" sign on East Hastings. The signs that kinda make us cringe. Like all popular trends in decades past we find ourselves asking "What were we thinking?" Well love it or hate it there was a time when Vancouver was fairly well known for its neon signage.It became a trademark, a performance. In fact there was so much Neon that Vancouver was at one point recognizable by its neon hue from an airplanes. Yet things changed, the city found a new performance outlet in the 50's and neon signs were taken down and fewer installed due to changes in the by laws. Yet this spring Vancouver artist, Ron Terada, piece "The Words Don't Fit The Picture" was installed just outside Vancouver's central Library.
This piece is a tribute to Vancouver's days of Neon signs, to the historical expression of this city. This permanent installation is a text based work which playfully and poetically addresses its surroundings in its caption.
Below you will see it at night to give you a better idea of the tribute to neon.
On a related note, I read a couple of days ago that the famous Only Seafood Restaurant sign on Hastings has been removed, as the business closed down more than a year ago now. I think it's going to be re-installed at a new location soon. Have I told you about my Liberace story associated with The Only?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love the Terada piece: gives a new perspective on Clint Burnham's reading of the VPL as symptomatic of "Late Empire."
Peter