professionals and academics in the wider realms of type design, graphic design, and architecture. Press associated with the opening, and subsequently, created more leads for Dechant and Schulze to follow up, as they quickly became magnets for news of threatened and abandoned signs. Many of these were subsequently rescued with the help of their volunteer network in Berlin, elsewhere in Germany, and even from much further afield. Once displayed in the museum, the signs and letters are much more than just visual novelties. Narrative texts cover topics that include the businesses they once advertised, their design, and typographic elements, and the processes used in their fabrication. Providing this context enriches the exhibits and conveys their importance within wider historical and cultural narratives. For local visitors the signs often evoke memories of particular shops, a reminder of the important role that smaller and family-run businesses play within communities. This is what is being destroyed as homogenisation sweeps the globe, and part of the museum’s mission is making sure that it isn’t lost completely. Moving Up (and Under) in the World As the museum’s collection grew, so did the need for more space to house it all. After four temporary spaces, the current location under the railway arches in Hansaviertel became home in 2016. Its cavernous spaces provide the perfect canvas for the diverse letterforms and complete signs that they house. One of these arches groups the artefacts by colour – green, blue, white, and yellow – with many letters bathing in the warm glow of their illuminated neighbours. The collection now comprises well over 3,000 objects, and the museum has operated an in-house neon shop since 2022. The shop carries out repair work on items from the collection and delivers educational demonstrations and workshops that help attendees understand the craft techniques involved in the production of neon signs. It is also a core part of the museum’s revenue stream as the pandemic resulted in Dechant losing her job, with the silver lining being that she is now focused entirely on the museum and a range of consulting and sign fabrication work that is carried out under its banner. Making the Pilgrimage One of the curious facets of the museum is that the majority of its visitors are from outside Berlin, with many coming from overseas. This has been aided by regular ►Colour is used to group many of the objects on display, bringing harmony to the arrays of diverse letterforms ADVENTURES IN SIGN PAINTING WITH SAM ROBERTS ▼ Since 2016, the Buchstabenmuseum has been housed in railway arches in Berlin’s Mitte district 34 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 259 - June / July 2025
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