1 + 1 = one 2006
recycle + renew + restore
July 29 & 30 + August 5 & 6 + August 12 & 13
open from 12 noon until 8 pm CDT
LaMaPa LaPrairie Museum & Park
2215 East 350 North
LaPorte, IN 46350
Site 10
from public signs to personal signifiers
Kay Hartmann
This project is about changing ordinary road signs into signifiers with loaded meanings. I have recycled and redesigned 10 road signs to express some of my particular political and religious views.
Signs have special significance for me as an educator and graphic designer. In my profession, the original graphic designers were itinerant sign painters, traveling with their paints from town to town. As a member of the graphic design faculty at Columbia College in Chicago, I teach a class called information design. Signs and sign systems are a big part of this newly defined field of information design.
Each of the signs I redesigned was actually used on the roadways in Michigan; I preserved the letters and content as much as possible, while "repurposing" their original messages. The idea to use road signs for this project came from artist Michelle Wiser, who shared with me her vision about deconstructing and then reconstructing street signs. Although our plans for the sign project have evolved and diverged, I am very grateful to Michelle for the inspiration she generously provided me with in the first place.
I also owe a very big thank you to my husband, Dan Coffey, who found the County Road Commissioner in Berrien County, Michigan where I bought the used signs. Dan had the poles cut to size, and we installed them on the farm on two very hot afternoons. His enthusiasm for this project and hands on support made it possible. And a special thank you goes to the Petersons for graciously organizing, hosting and making 1+ 1 possible.
Signs have special significance for me as an educator and graphic designer. In my profession, the original graphic designers were itinerant sign painters, traveling with their paints from town to town. As a member of the graphic design faculty at Columbia College in Chicago, I teach a class called information design. Signs and sign systems are a big part of this newly defined field of information design.
Each of the signs I redesigned was actually used on the roadways in Michigan; I preserved the letters and content as much as possible, while "repurposing" their original messages. The idea to use road signs for this project came from artist Michelle Wiser, who shared with me her vision about deconstructing and then reconstructing street signs. Although our plans for the sign project have evolved and diverged, I am very grateful to Michelle for the inspiration she generously provided me with in the first place.
I also owe a very big thank you to my husband, Dan Coffey, who found the County Road Commissioner in Berrien County, Michigan where I bought the used signs. Dan had the poles cut to size, and we installed them on the farm on two very hot afternoons. His enthusiasm for this project and hands on support made it possible. And a special thank you goes to the Petersons for graciously organizing, hosting and making 1+ 1 possible.
Site 10
Mandala/Haiku
Mandala is an ancient sacred symbol. It has been used in Celtic, Tibetan, Hindu and Native American cultures. Mandalas are believed to be maps of the universe. They also offer healing. Fourteen women and I created four Mandalas in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I believe Mandala is an expression of the divine order of the universe. They reveal the link between the inner and outer worlds, and carry a vibration of harmony. Mandalas are visual representations of universal love.
I invite you to create a Haiku in expression of this universal love. Haiku have three lines: five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables. Hang it from a tree as a gift to this land.
I invite you to create a Haiku in expression of this universal love. Haiku have three lines: five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables. Hang it from a tree as a gift to this land.