Signs of the Times, Collages 1-3
By Steve Bennett | July 29, 2020
When the business lockdown started, I started taking pictures of signs on the inside of doors and windows of shops in the North Cambridge and Somerville, MA area. Some stores have since reopened, carefully and slowly, and with stringent procedures. Others are open by appointment only. And some remain in limbo, waiting.
After assembling a good number of images, it occurred to me that collages would have more impact than individual signs in conveying how small businesses around here are struggling to recalibrate their gyroscopes and navigate the Covidian terrain. I’m balancing signage ranging from notices with precise graphics and typography to handwritten notes. The tone ranges from procedural warnings to heartfelt pleas. Occasionally some humor creeps in. Here are collages 1-3.
Signs of the Times, 1
Signs of the Times, 2
Signs of the Times, 3
Steve Bennett is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based visual artist. He began taking photographs more than 40 years ago, in the age of film, and transitioned to digital photography in the late 90s. Today, in addition to taking and making traditional street, macro, and landscape photographs, he creates photo-based abstract composites designed to take viewers on fanciful flights of the imagination through virtual realms. His work has been displayed in numerous juried exhibitions, and at Google’s Kendall Square, Cambridge offices as well as various technology, biotech, and financial service companies in the Boston area.