tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2008://1 2008-01-10T17:02:57Z Movable Type 3.31 tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.25 2007-08-26T01:32:25Z 2008-01-10T17:02:57Z

Well, here we are in late August, and there's still nothing to report of any substance. I know some people see it as a mortal sin not to keep a blog updated (yup, you know who you are), but what...

tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.24 2007-06-07T22:36:02Z 2007-12-27T13:44:40Z

Introducing Almost Architecture, a short interactive film about high-rise signs in Montréal, including Farine Five Roses. This is version 1.0: there are still a few minor glitches, and much more material to be added at a later date. Feedback welcome. This database narrative was produced using the Korsakow-System. In order to play properly, this film requires that your web browser has Shockwave installed. (Here is an FAQ on Shockwave.) ]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.23 2007-04-07T13:50:11Z 2007-04-24T00:02:06Z

Lisa reports: "The sign was all wacky again last night (April 5) but tonight it's not-so-much. The blinking is back to what it normally is - the only thing wrong is the R of roses is burnt out." I have...

Lisa reports: "The sign was all wacky again last night (April 5) but tonight it's not-so-much. The blinking is back to what it normally is - the only thing wrong is the R of roses is burnt out." I have emailed ADM to ask them if they're keeping up with maintenance while they decide (with Smuckers) what to do with the sign. tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.22 2007-04-05T20:57:09Z 2007-04-07T13:54:11Z

Lisa, my eye in the sky, wrote last night (Wednesday) to say" "More of the same tonight...and more letters are flickering: the "e" in Farine, the "v" in Five and the "r, s and e" in Roses. It actually looks...

Lisa, my eye in the sky, wrote last night (Wednesday) to say" "More of the same tonight...and more letters are flickering: the "e" in Farine, the "v" in Five and the "r, s and e" in Roses. It actually looks kinda pitiful." tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.21 2007-04-04T20:32:36Z 2007-04-07T13:53:58Z

No news was good news. I've just been tipped off that the sign is lighting up in bizarre ways. Check out this video taken April 3. I can't help wondering if they're trying to run the sign into the ground....

this video taken April 3. I can't help wondering if they're trying to run the sign into the ground. If it doesn't light up properly then it needs to be taken down, right?]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.20 2007-01-29T17:04:27Z 2007-04-04T20:44:06Z

I have just heard from ADM that... there's no news. Meanwhile, I'm drafting an open letter to the brand managers at ADM and Smuckers. Will post it here as soon as it's done. As ever, if you have ideas or...

this symposium, coming up in May.]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.19 2007-01-08T13:00:24Z 2007-03-09T16:52:31Z

In response to enquiries about the sign's current status: my eye in the sky (thanks again Lisa) tells me that the sign has been on at night the past few weeks. I have also asked ADM for an update on...

In response to enquiries about the sign's current status: my eye in the sky (thanks again Lisa) tells me that the sign has been on at night the past few weeks. I have also asked ADM for an update on their plans for the sign and will post here as soon as I hear anything. If anyone else has any news please let me know. tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2007://1.18 2007-01-03T18:19:24Z 2007-03-09T16:52:45Z

Contrairement à l'enseigne Hollywood en Californie, le nouveau panneau 'Oui-Non' à Montréal serait aussi pratique que cosmétique. Celui-ci fournirait des résultats d'élection ou de référendum à la seconde près - selon l'éclairage et l'intensité du mot 'Oui' ou 'Non' - à tous. Une belle utilisation pour cette enseigne vénérable. Unlike the Hollywood sign in California, Montréal's new 'Oui-Non' sign would be more than cosmetic. The sign would allow everyone to get up-to-the-second information on election voting and referendum ballot results, depending on which word - 'Oui' or 'Non' - was illuminated, and how brightly. A fine new use for a venerable old sign.]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2006://1.17 2006-12-20T15:28:20Z 2007-03-09T16:53:00Z

A fabulous new art installation for the Beaudry Métro station in Montréal's hip-and-happening Gay Village. Un nouveau piece d'art industriel pour la station de métro Beaudry au village gai de Montréal.]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2006://1.16 2006-12-19T15:54:56Z 2007-04-04T20:43:33Z

With a little modification, the FFR sign could stay put, and find new life as a weather indicator for the city. L'ensigne FFR - comme un météorologue pour Montréal.]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2006://1.15 2006-12-18T15:09:28Z 2007-04-04T20:43:20Z

A proposal for the world's largest compass. La plus grande boussole du monde....

A proposal for the world's largest compass. La plus grande boussole du monde.]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2006://1.14 2006-12-11T21:33:43Z 2007-04-04T20:43:08Z

'Pick a letter, any letter. Who needs a Woodward's W when every important corporation in town can have its very own letter? Scrabble, anyone?' Les lettres pour tous les entreprises du monde, comme Woodward's à Vancouver! [A few weeks back I asked readers of this blog to send in ideas for ways in which the FFR sign could be preserved, reused or even recycled. Anything but carted off to some anonymous scrapyard to rust away. The response was, er, a tad mute, so I have embarked on a series of fanciful imaginings as to how the sign might continue to grace our skyline - albeit not on the roof of ADM's mill. Here's the first one.]]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2006://1.13 2006-11-08T16:18:06Z 2006-12-21T22:37:19Z

UPDATE: The Farine Five Roses sign is still standing. It's also been switched on more or less 24 hours a day for the past few weeks. My friends in the sign business tell me this won't do any damage to...

Logo Cities project, we've been collecting stories from people about signs. One person told how she used the FFR sign to find her way home; more than one person has briefly mistaken the Desjardins sign for the moon. If you or anyone you know has a story about a high-rise sign (maybe you know someone who used to live in the shadow of FFR; or remembers driving by the Bowmac sign in Vancouver; or, wept when they changed the logo on top of the PanAm building to MetLife) you can now contribute your story via voicemail. Just call (514) 848-2424, extension 5898. You'll have up to three minutes to leave a message. This is clearly a different kind of engagement with signs, but it's all part of our efforts to underscore the importance of these monsters in city life, often above and beyond their function as promotional beacons. Please help us to spread the word. We will be collecting Sign Stories for the next few months and may play the best ones in public (eg on the radio; on a newly designed logocities website) as the project progresses.]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2006://1.12 2006-10-25T15:58:41Z 2006-12-21T22:36:56Z

The FFR sign was off Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday night. Bizarrely, it was on during the day yesterday (Tuesday). Regarding an earlier blackout, ADM had emailed me to say that "It was accidentally turned off for a few days....It...

on during the day yesterday (Tuesday). Regarding an earlier blackout, ADM had emailed me to say that "It was accidentally turned off for a few days....It was turned back on as soon as management was made aware." So - what's going on exactly? Does management need a nudge every time we see the sign is off? I can't help but wonder if the aim is to acclimatize us all to the notion that the sign is unreliable. Maybe they're just seeing if repeatedly turning it off provokes less and less of a reaction from the public and the media. Thoughts anyone? ]]> tag:www.saveoursigns.org,2006://1.11 2006-10-20T20:35:14Z 2006-12-21T22:36:35Z

Ville-Marie borough mayor, has confirmed the following points:]]> August 8, 2006 Smucker Foods of Canada and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), owner of the Five Roses sign in Montreal, today committed to re-illuminating the sign for the next several months. During that time, Smucker Foods of Canada and ADM will continue their ongoing dialogue to explore all possible options and determine the most appropriate course for the future of the sign, taking into consideration its current state of disrepair and any potential safety concerns it may pose. Smucker Foods of Canada’s acquisition of the worldwide rights to the Five Roses flour brand in the retail channel from ADM was finalized last month. Further, regarding the sign being unlit, ADM reports that "It was accidentally turned off for a few days this past weekend. It was turned back on as soon as management was made aware." In sum, then, the ball seems to be firmly in ADM's and Smucker's court. I am emailing ADM now to say as much. In the interim, we need to help all parties find some imaginative solutions before it is too late. I am inviting everyone to submit novel ideas, sketches, and proposals for the future of the sign. Where else would the sign look good? Lit? Unlit? With the neon intact? If one iconic sign can be saved by the company featured on the sign itself, and another one preserved by a generous businessman, then surely there's hope here too. I will publish the best suggestions on this blog over the next few weeks to remind all the official parties involved that we're working on it too. (Bear in mind that, unless ADM buys back the rights to the Five Roses brand (unlikely), at the very least the sign will end up being removed from the roof of the mill.) ]]>