Stadtschrift Mauerschau

Where do all the signs go when old Viennese shops are closing down?

Many of them are demolished and end up in the scrap dump. But the most beautiful and artistic ones, which we think are particularly worth preserving, we try to acquire for our collection.

For us, city typography is no less than cultural heritage which should not disappear from the public! So we had the idea to bring the signs back to empty walls in public space. This worked out in the 2nd Viennese district in 2014, and since then we have been looking for a second location for what we call a decentralized typographic museum.

What is this specific project about?

It is not easy to find eligible walls and obtain 100% approval from the owners. In the 6th district we finally found what we are looking for – a wall with great public visibility! By now, we have ALL the necessary permits for the installation of

• 10 unlit original shop signs
• at the wall of Mollardgasse 8
  in the 6th Viennese district
• for a scheduled duration of 10 years!

For years, we have been pursuing the idea of staging only the names of female shopkeepers on a public wall. With a collection focus we were gathering 10 protagonists:

• Mona, Gitti, Urania, Lisa, Yasmine, Thalia, Lieselott, Petra, Mariandl und Gabriela.

Together with the support of the District Council in Mariahilf and your help, we could manage to bring the names back into the city! The opening is planned for September 2018.

What do we need the money for?

The lion’s share goes into mounting the objects. We have to hire a licensed specialist company and rent a hoisting platform for several days.

Your backing is also needed to restore the signs in order to make them fit for their second life outdoors.

The rest will cover the costs for official permits and the production of an info-board to thank all supporters. We are lucky that the wall is provided by the city of Vienna free of charge!

Merci! Thank you! Kisskiss!