Sign No. 12 (Danger) Painting

Victoria & Owen Phillips-Walmsley have spent much of their working careers creating the visual language of other people’s messaging, in the worlds of branding, advertising and marketing. As a result, they have become more and more aware of the importance of what is being said using these graphic techniques, and the truthfulness of a medium. In 2012, Victoria and Owen founded Bread Collective with a group of like-minded creatives, initially winning funding for a series of large-scale typographic murals by the London Olympic Park. This first project gained nationwide press, and led to various projects across the UK and USA. In the past six years, they have been commissioned to design and install large-scale public artworks by the Southbank Centre, Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund. As the couple have begun to develop their personal, fine art practise, they build on their experiences and technical knowledge of traditional signwriting and gilding techniques, applying them to more abstract conceptual works. The body of work created over the past three years centres on the theme of ‘things not being as they seem’. Gold leaf is used throughout (water-gilded, oil-gilded and also gold foil), alongside traditional craftsmanship, to create juxtapositions between the ideas of luxury and value associated with this ‘elevated’ material, and everyday signs and messages. The ‘everyday’ messaging ranges from social media hashtags to often-ignored, functional health & safety warnings and mystical food or cosmetic ingredients.