King Edward Station: Industrioglyphs
King Edward Station: Industrioglyphs
By Stuart McCall
During visits to sites of industrial activity, Stuart McCall has been drawn to a recurring curious language of colourful temporary markings inscribed on cement buttresses, building walls, road surfaces, posts, boulders, trees, and the ground. Reminiscent of cuneiform or prehistoric scripts painted onto cave walls, these inscriptions pass a message to some future observer, which presumes an understanding continuum.
In a complex, hazardous, and deadline-driven environment like the modern-day construction site, a simple method of mark making is often the only, and certainly the most expedient, way to pass on information. These markings, in spray paint, chalk, and paint, employ various conventions: geometric representations, coloured symbols, numerals, and abbreviated words. One of their most compelling features is their temporary nature, marking, as they do, the transition between permanence and impermanence. Lasting for months, weeks, or minutes, they indicate action to come. They are then covered, dug up, or otherwise removed from sight. Photography enables the ability to contrast the temporary nature of the markings with the permanence of the resulting structure and the photographic print itself, allowing for interpretation over time.
