Signs of the Times

The streets of New York City can feel overwhelming due to the massive amount of stimulating sights, sounds and activities occurring on practically every block. But those of us who frequent the city and call it our home, know that it is one of the most organized and efficient urban environments in the world. That aspect has a lot to do with the cognizant design and placement of graphics throughout the city’s streets. Information design facilitates and promotes awareness, and it can also call attention to areas and issues within the city that are not immediately apparent.

Artists have contributed to the creation of street signage, and their work has often honed in on very specific populations that have historically been underserved. An example is Martin Wong’s Traffic Signs for the Hearing Impaired, which he designed in the 1990s and are installed at or nearby schools for deaf students in each of New York City’s five boroughs. The signs look very similar to the standard aluminum steel design and color of road signs. The one major difference is that they feature the words “one way,” “stop” and “school for the Deaf” spelled out using the manual alphabet for the hearing impaired (see: Artfully Universal Communication for more on Wong’s artful signage).

Alex Strada’s Public Address is another example of artist initiated street signage, reflecting a population that deserves greater visibility and understanding. Public Address is a collection of aluminum signs affixed to city sign posts from the lower Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village to upper Manhattan’s Washington Heights. Each sign features a handwritten note, diagram or drawing that was created by residents and staff of some of the city’s homeless shelters. The project is ongoing and will continue to expand throughout the city’s streets, plazas and parks. It is a collaboration with NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS), NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), and other city agencies serving the population at large.

Placed in prominent areas for the public to engage with, the signs present a solemn sense of urgency for addressing housing insecurity. Experiences of both homeless individuals and housing rights advocates were recorded during log-writing workshops organized by Strada in shelters across the city. The reflections created by the participants were then transferred onto upcycled aluminum signage at the New York City Department of Transportation’s Sign Shop.

Because signs serve as functional information that prompt specific desirable actions, they can be transformative when embodied with messages that stir our social consciousness. Public Address implores passersby to reflect on the precariousness of housing in a capitalist oligarchy; and also recognize any bias they themselves might have held regarding homelessness. It is a direct call to dismantle stereotypes about housing insecurity, and exhibit understanding and empathy towards the myriad conditions that lead to housing insecurity and homelessness.

Recent resounding victories by politicians like New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who campaigned on lowering the costs of living and providing equal and equitable housing opportunities, indicate that a plurality of citizens consider these issues to be at the forefront of what needs to change. The Artists who work alongside elected leaders and city agencies to create informative and moving public projects, are also making it evident that artistic infusion into citywide agencies and policy making has a tangible impact on raising public consciousness and justifiable social action.