Photo: Michael Zavros
Six years after the best-selling Love Sign first hit the wall, comes a sequel …
Not that the Love Sign thing was ever intended to be a franchise. It was a one-off art-whim. But then it took on this life of its own.
People bought it. Shops stocked it. Galleries hung it.
It made people smile. It took pride of place in homes. It was given with heartfelt feeling and carefully considered thought.
It travelled to more places than the person who created it. It went to lots of weddings and parties. It rubbed shoulders with real artworks in real exhibitions. It hung out in the homes of the famous and fabulous.
People sent glowing emails and gorgeous photos from faraway places. One man wrote to say he had to take it down as his partner was suddenly “with child”. Ah, Love.
It was stolen, plucked from a wall in Acland Street, fleeing and dissolving into the melting pot of St Kilda. Such bad karma, stealing Love.
It was similarly misappropriated, bastardised by a magazine—inspiring a little artwork to take legal action against a major publisher. And Love, though somewhat drained, did triumph.
Yes, it became quite the labour of Love. Suddenly there were 300andsomething of them in 40something cities and towns in adozenorsomething countries.
And people persisted …
PEOPLE
(admiringly)
We love the Love Sign.
AL
(appreciatively)
Cheers love, ta.
PEOPLE
(inquisitively)
What other art/signs/things do you do?
AL
(matter-of-factly)
Well, nothing … I’m not an artist … It’s just this thing I do.
PEOPLE
(encouragingly)
Oh love, you should do more. The Love Sign’s great. It looks so good in the garage with my Ducati.
AL
(distractedly)
Yes, but, you see … Ducati? Which one?
PEOPLE
(proudly)
916.
AL
(respectfully)
Oh, 916, nice.
PEOPLE
(boldly)
Instant classic.
AL
(concededly)
Indeed.
PEOPLE
(suggestively)
What about something in yellow? The 916 looked hot in yellow.
AL
(philosophically)
It did, yes, but, no, look, to be honest, nothing else I’ve come up with quite lives up to the Love Sign. I just took the most recognised secular symbol and replaced its host word with the most evocative non-expletive. Where am I supposed to go from there? I’ve kind of painted myself into a corner. What’s more, the Love Sign is labour-of-love enough.
PEOPLE
(wryly)
Yeah right, that’s what I thought about my first Duc. What about Ducati model numbers on speed signs?
AL
(politely)
Umm, yes, but it may have, well, limited appeal. And 1098 could look a bit, well, cramped.
PEOPLE
(insistently)
Yeah well try owning/riding a 916.
And so on, and so on, and so …
In the grand tradition of sequels, we seek to continue the story and take our character into exciting and challenging new territory. And see what happens.
See where they’ll go. See what they’ll do. See if our followers continue to follow us. See if some new ones will join us. So here’s something in yellow.
Photo: Erik Williamson
More info on Signs of Life website here.