This year my impetus for taking pictures of posters and other hallway art at BreyerFest was greater than ever. In many ways they are the soul of the hotel event. What a vast army! The thought of denying them seems impossible, like holding back the tide. There must be a way they can flourish; they are too handy, too useful and too much fun. This post will explore the variety of poster ideas and offer a few suggestions for the future. There's 25 pix so sit down for the long haul!
I want to start this part-documentary, part-memoriam with my own door. Six-twelve does not have the best lighting (I used to be in 610 but Noel pinched it!) but 'twill serve, 'twill serve. (Take that, you Shakespearean nut!) Over the course of my many BFests in this hotel my posterage has gone from 1 to 4.
The heart of the conflict, I believe, is that the hotel wants to protect their freshly-painted doors and surfaces. I try to obey this logical rule. Yet I am neither able to resist putting up small notes nor mean enough to scold those who put up far more. My first excuse is to rely on the weak adhesive of Post-Its; my second is to recognize the impulse as irresistable, going possibly all the way back to the family refrigerator. It's only human. The goal, then, is to find a way to express oneself without damage to the infrastructure. At the moment, painter's tape and fabric wall covering is the enabling combination.
Those across the way from me have put up their typical pink sparkles. We'll look at general hallways first, then close ups.
I think of this Exit sign as the ground-zero point. It's located at the end of the 100s hall and thus excellent for posters, a real prime location. Visually and physically it is at the begining of the central hub area of the place (the start of the 500s and 600s). See how over time it accumulates its posters: this first shot was taken Wednesday,
and this one on Friday. My own is in here, second below the blue Guest Rooms curve-top tile.
Woops, I see I overlooked an Embassy poster. Love those hamsters!
Here's a view of the wall outside the start of the 600s, taken Friday morning. Much later and there will be too many people to see it like this.
Even when the interior of the CHIN was not enclosed into walkways, the walls were full of posters during BreyerFest. Those walkways merely gave us more space.
Run the gamut just to reach the bathroom! Turn the corner to this: See the Front Lobby sign? (Blue tile at the far end.) Mine is in here too, but buried.
Some basic lessons of poster design can be seen. Color and Close are two of the great rules. If you can't afford a good photograph, use a drawing, but it should be large, Clear and bright. A detailed close up is better than a swarm of smaller objects.
Many people split the difference with 4 to 6 photographs. Size doesn't matter as much as a good picture.
Now let's look at individual posters. Of course, being human, the one with humor is the one that's gonna stick. I found the skeleton painfully amusing ["Waiting for this room to open"].
And this one says it all!
Are you sure he's not biting,...?!
A drawing can tell so much. Another biter (almost the same pose!)[lower right]. The pose is a work of art.
There's repetition, and there's... repetition. Maybe these bright ones for the same room could've been set a little further apart,...
This one really surprised me with its quality. It stood out, both for content (very subtle) and for creativity. Being black and white also made it stand out, probably on purpose.
I tell you this hobby is brimfull of creative people!
A quick glimpse over the railings down into the lobby, from the 200s balcony. This lobby has been the site of some of the happiest moments of my life: my community has recognized me and has welcomed me here. My spirit wants to linger here so much -- I have even thought of having a few ashes scattered on the beloved grounds of BreyerFest -- yet now the changes seem overpowering. I cringe instead, peering out like a snail from its shell.
Back to posters, and to doors. Door frame decorations are another field that has grown over the years. I love the evolution, even though I haven't yet utilized my own door frame. This view was in the 200s, just past the balcony.
Here's another fresh idea. At first I thought it was show ribbons!
The full door cover is something that's come in over the past few years. I think you can get them made at print shops. I once saw one on the wall between doors. These covers would, if carefully applied, take care of any door damage(!).
This one was worthy of the Penn National art booths. Here's where it gets interesting: Note that the lights (LEDS?) are fastened to the doorframe and not the walls. (Magnets? A fablous idea.) Also, note how the door cover protects the door from its own posters.
(Below) This method of advertisement also deserves a great shout-out, because it manages to avoid damage to both the walls and the door! I was amazed at this: frame clamps! Not only that, but it presents itself across the flow of foot traffic and thus is much more visible than the typical poster. I tell you, creativity will win the day!
One more door cover:
One more individual poster, showing the wall banner approach, and the all-important Time of Return clock:
One more shot of the wall of the central area, taken Friday morning:
And the last, which isn't a poster at all but a personally favorite place. You won't believe it, but this is a very important staircase to me. It's the run up from the 500s to the 600s from the back door if you don't take the elevator. I've been up and down these 14 steps countless times, dodging crowds, lugging boxes and bags, hurrying in a panic or crowing over a purchase. (Still with the yellow beware-water sign, after all the flooding!) They are just as essential to me as the hallways and ground zeros; I almost feel they belong to me.
I am so looking forward to using them again.
