Los Angeles-based artist Scott Froschauer has repurposed the visual language of the ubiquitous street sign and their authoritative voice into street art that toys with the viewer’s understanding and perception of public space and the role of art in it. By replacing the traditional controlling language on public street signs with positive life-affirming statements, The Word on The Street seeks to provide something that is missing from our hum-drum daily visual diet.
With 20 different custom street signs throughout the city of Glendale, Froschauer is hoping to engage and inspire city visitors and residents to see the world just a little bit brighter. The signs range in message and tone, but maintain the standard directional sign styles and shapes. Touching on positivity, curiosity and absurdity, the signs are evocative, supportive and whimsical, inspiring a smirk or smile to all those who view them.
Froschauer is fascinated with the role of the public space and wishes to combat the common understanding that public space is meant for official signage and messaging that controls and conforms. Froschauer has utilized this expectation in order to produce a positive and shocking response from his viewers. Yet, these signs are so similar to the traditional street signs that many people pass right by them without even realizing the signs say something different than they expected.
Aiming to give viewers a positive yet momentary emotional lift, messaging in The Words on The Street are simple yet thought provoking, with self-love and compassion at the core of their statements. Froschauer hopes that people who see his signs start to expect extraordinary things in ordinary places more often, evoking greater imagination and positivity for everyone.
About the artist:
Scott Froschauer is a experimental artist and art fabricator in Los Angeles. His background consists of a structured education in Engineering, Photography, Computer Programming and Business. He earned a B.A. in Theoretical Linguistics from Syracuse University and has broad practical experience in Fabrication, Design, Non-ordinary Reality, Experiential Narrative, Venture Capital, Counterfeiting and Breathing. His background in the motion picture industry as a Key Grip has given him the skills to rapidly deploy large engineering projects for television shows, feature films, commercials and music videos. His fine artwork covers a broad range of subjects and materials from ephemeral street art and experiential narrative events to gunpowder illustration and alternative technique photography to practical sculpture and many large scale pieces for the Burning Man Festival, including the fabrication of The Church Trap, a large scale sculpture which was featured in numerous publications. Scott also fabricated RuckusRoots’ 2015 Wild Art sculpture, for the LA Zoo.
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