Ghost Sign Vandalism
It's very sad to see ghost signs defaced. Graffiti is just one of the many threats to ghost signs. Recently I noticed that an interesting ghost sign in Lviv has been vandalized.
Antique Metal Roller Shutters in Lviv
Lviv still has quite a few Austrian- and Polish-era metal roller shutters, which cover windows and doors of old storefronts. Some of the shutters are still used; most, however, look as if they haven’t been opened in decades. The panels with the locks are stamped with the manufacturer’s mark – typically the company’s name and location, some even with a street address, such as the company N. Bielicki Lwów , which was located on ul. Gródecka 43 (Horodotska St.). this panel is upside down - I think because several old shutters were used to patch up this door as seen in picture below Prague
Looks like football supporters to me, there's a team in London called West Ham. I really don't like this but there was an example in London in 2010 of a street artist pasting his work onto a lovely ghostsign. It started some debate but, in the end, the art came down and then the sign got covered again.
ReplyDeleteOh interesting. I didn't realize that's what it was. There is a lot of football graffiti in Lviv, but usually it's in support of local teams. And an interesting debate - the artist had some interesting arguments for the placement, but I still think it's a shame to cover up ghost signs like that.
DeleteI guess it was probably people who were in Ukraine for the European championships in the summer, England fans but these ones support West Ham too.
Delete... and I assume the graffiti is hard to be removed without tampering the original... In July I saw that the sign in the Chornovola bld. was graffitied also still, I am afraid that it is still not cleared ...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.studiolum.com/wang/galicia/walls/3/05.jpg
Yes, I believe that graffiti (on Kulisha St.) is still there. In this case, the sign was specifically targeted, while in the case I posted it was just done in ignorance. I remember seeing a picture of another Yiddish ghost sign with red paint splashed over it. (I think it was one on Nalyvaika St. that was painted over a few years ago.) Unfortunately there is still antisemitism in Lviv, and as such, the old Yiddish signs are not particularly safe.
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