Though technically illegal, the explosively vibrant promotional signage for dancehall bashments are Jamaican cultural icons. Filmmaker Maxine Walters has been collecting these colorful artifacts, taking crowbar to trees and pulling them direct from the streets. The material makes up the new book, Jamaican Dancehall Signage From the Collection of Maxine Walters, which also marks the inaugural publication by Miss Lily's Variety (the gallery arm of the popular New York restaurant). With foreword by venerable journalist Jesse Sawyer, the signs included in the book offer a history of Jamaican hand-painted, vernacular typography.
An exhibition of the signs is on view at Miss Lily's Variety, 130 West Houston Street, New York, New York from today, September 12, through October 24, 2012.
Available direct from Miss Lily's.
