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Signs of the Seaside
April 29th 2023 - September 3rd 2023
From neon signs to painted shop fronts and dazzling pier-side lettering – the typography of the British seaside is about as iconic as fish and chips. This summer, Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft invite you to explore the imagery of our coastal towns in their full illuminated glory!
Signs of the Seaside will explore how lettering and typography have evolved to play a fundamental role in our experience of the English seaside providing a historical and contemporary perspective on the role of graphic design in identifying our coastal towns, and includes work by QEST Scholar Amy Goodwin.
The exhibition also features research and typographic works from Justin Burns and new commissions from graphic artists, signwriters and illustrators, including Anthony Burrill, Marion Deuchars and Emma Carlow; coastal photography by Rob Ball; textile work from Jenny Steele and a brand new poem written in response to the exhibition by poet and host of BBC Radio 3’s The Verb, Ian McMillan.
Never-before-seen draft designs of Blackpool’s Comedy Carpet will be on display, alongside an example of the cast stone type used by artists Gordon Young and Andrew Altmann to create this meticulously detailed piece of contemporary seaside art.
A 5-foot letter ‘R’, which once graced the entrance to Brighton Pier, has been renovated and reimagined for the exhibition by neon artist Andy Doig.
Ditchling’s rich typographic legacy will be represented by work from distinguished type designer Edward Johnston, including early proofs of his enduring London Underground typeface ‘Johnston Sans’.
Curated by Justin Burns.