University of Winnipeg and downtown community newspaper
University of Winnipeg and downtown community newspaper
Craig Winslow to Shine Light on Exchange District Ghost Signs
“Painted in Light” Merges Archival Research with Projection Mapping
Winnipeg, Manitoba (July 6, 2017) - On Saturday July 29, 2017, Portland-based experiential designer Craig Winslow is coming north of the border to help shine a light on Winnipeg’s ghost signs. The one-night-only event called Painted in Light merges archival research with large-scale projection mapping to bring these faded ads back to life.
Organized by local ghost sign enthusiast Matt Cohen, the installation builds on Winslow’s year-long stint as an Adobe Creative Resident, where he travelled to locations across the US and UK to illuminate more than 30 ghost signs. The process involves taking pictures of faded ads, vectorizing the letterforms in Illustrator, animating the sign in After Effects and then projecting the image back onto the original wall with MadMapper.
“Our city has one of the most concentrated collections of ghost signs in North America. There are close to 150 of them spread over 20 blocks, “ says Matt Cohen, Organizer, Painted in Light. “This is an opportunity for people to experience the Exchange District in an entirely new way. We’re incredibly excited that another artist is choosing Winnipeg for their next installation.”
Painted in Light builds on a recent string of internationally renowned creative professionals visiting Manitoba to celebrate our climate and built landscape, including Anish Kapoor’s Stackhouse Warming Hut and Kal Barteski’s Sea Walls Mural event in Churchill.
The free installation is happening from 9 p.m. until 11 p.m. on the first Saturday of the Canada Summer Games and last night of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. In total five signs will be illuminated at the same time across Winnipeg’s Exchange District - a first for Winslow. The locations include 165 McDermot Avenue (James Porter / Milady Chocolates), 185 Bannatyne Avenue (Robinson & Webber / Essex Packers) and 281 McDermot Avenue (Stobart & Sons).
To learn more about the event, visit paintedinlight.ca
About the Team
Craig Winslow is an experiential designer with a passion for blending the physical and digital. He recently completed a year-long stint as an Adobe Creative resident, bringing dozens of fading ads back to life around the world. You can explore more of his work at craigwinslow.com.
Matt Cohen is a creative director, urban archaeologist and the driving force behind ghostsigns.ca. For the past four years, he's been documenting Winnipeg's fading promotional signage and guiding Exchange District walking tours. In 2016 he delivered a TEDx talk on the history of fading ads.