Eye Magazine

Last night it said ‘KAJAL’. The other night it said ‘DRUNK MAN’, and before that it was ‘SPUNK MAN’ (below).

The tools of this form of public lettering are nothing more than a supply of stacking plastic cups (above), and an expanse of wire fencing into which you can push them.

A few weeks ago, we had this more elaborate arrangement of arrows (reminiscent of Above) and letters (and taken by a better photographer).

. . . not to mention all the activity in the local basketball railings in Brick Lane. In one case a couple seem to be having some sort of ‘cup art’ conversation.

First the railings displayed the words ‘Jay love Anwar forever’ . . .

. . . only to be changed the next day to ‘you will always be my baby Jay.’

. . . and more arrows, above them only sky . . .

But who’s doing it? Is it ‘Kajal’, or is s/he merely the object of the letterer’s affections. Is there any connection to Big Active, who created some early examples of ‘cup art’ for Vega4’s Traffic Jam? I think we should be told. If you see (and snap) more examples, send us a link to your pictures on Flickr.

Eye is the world’s most beautiful and collectable graphic design journal, published quarterly for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about graphic design and visual culture. It is available from all good design bookshops and online at the Eye shop, where you can buy subscriptions and single issues.