Defining Spaces with Typography

•

Defining Spaces with Typography
Wetland to Warehouse

This was created as a public art piece in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. The work was created by myself and a team of two others. While designing the piece, we were limited to using materials that will not damage their environment and can be easily removed. The typeface needed to be intentional and speak to the message we were conveying. Finally we had to record our process and final piece, either in video or print. We decided to create a post card that could be mailed to Milwaukeeans.

We chose the message “Wetland to Warehouse,” and placed it in the Third Ward. Through researching the area, we found that The Third Ward was originally a marshland that was drained in the 1800’s to allow Irish Immigrants to settle the area. It became a warehouse district over time and is now a creative hub filled with art galleries and boutiques.

Here is a detail of our installation process. Our piece was constructed of duct tape, foam-core and moss.

Here is our piece in its final context in the form of a postcard. This displays the image as Milwaukeeans would receive it when mailed.

On the back of our mailed postcard is imagery detailing our installation process. We also included the brief historical description of the Third Ward seen below:

               " The Historic Third Ward was originally a flat, swampy area until the land was
                 drained and Irish immigrants settled. In 1892 a fire at Water St. Oil & Paint Co. took
                 out 440 buildings. Today it is a hub for local shops, restaurants and art galleries."