Coal Drops Yard — Layers on Layers

We were commissioned by Argent to create ‘Layers Upon Layers’, a public installation that would bring the fascinating history of Coal Drops Yard to life. Inspired by the building’s rich heritage, we created a series of vivid and playful palimpsests — posters literally layered with tales of bygone eras. We wanted to give an engaging account of life in the Yard throughout time, while reflecting the creative, experimental personalities of the retailers that now live within it. – The series invites visitors to journey from the days of Queen Boudicca to mud-wrestling at nightclubs in the 90s. To convey the effect of time passing, we fly-postered the boards and hand-ripped the layers as we went along, so a piece of each era was always on view. The boards were then finished with hand-applied fluoro lettering.