Montréal Signs Project

 
Several old commercial signs stacked against a wall

About

We would like to begin by acknowledging that the MSP at Concordia University is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which we gather today. Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is historically known as a gathering place for many First Nations. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. We respect the continued connections with the past, present and future in our ongoing relationships with Indigenous and other peoples within the Montreal community.

Several old commercial signs stacked up in a storage area

Montréal, like most settler cities, is in a constant state of flux: evolving bylaws and planning regulations; monumental city planning projects; the shifting identities and socioeconomic fortunes of individuals and neighbourhoods; the ebb and flow of certain stores, cafés, restaurants, cinemas, and clubs, through renovation or reinvention. All these changes are sooner or later signalled through the sudden removal (or equally sudden appearance) of eye-catching commercial and civic signs.

The Montréal Signs Project, a legacy of Soar’s Logo Cities research initiative (2004-2010), aims to save at least some of these fading pieces of our vernacular material culture: the industrial, commercial, and civic detritus that, due to neglect or apathy, would otherwise be lost forever. The resonance of the project is evident in the reactions of visitors: recognizing particular signs, enthusiastically offering up stories about their childhoods, their families, their student days, their old neighbourhoods, or a significant life event. Sometimes the signs draw attention because of the way they were designed, made, or serviced, and often bear the residual marks of these largely anonymous workers: brushstrokes, technical markings, forgotten tools. All in all, we have much to learn from our city’s old signs!

The Montréal Signs Project was cooked up by Matt Soar (Professor Emeritus, Dept of Communication Studies, Concordia University) in collaboration with Nancy Marrelli (Archivist Emerita, Concordia University Archives). Thanks also to: Peter Morden, the late Justin Powlowski, Graham Carr, Carole Brabant, and the many Communication Studies students who have helped out along the way, especially Steve Smith, Lou Raskin, and Chrys Vilvang. We would also be remiss not to acknowledge the largely anonymous workers in Concordia’s Facilities Management department at Loyola, led by Patrick Sullivan. They’ve been incredibly supportive of the the project since its inception. Last, but not least, a huge thank you to Mr. Bill Kovacevic, formerly of Pattison Signs, for his expertise and encyclopedic knowledge of Montréal’s sign-making business history.