On a recent trip to North London we took the family to a place called God’s Own Junkyard. It is an industrial estate where The Wild Card Brewery and Mother’s Ruin Gin Factory live alongside BJ Electronics and Vauxhall Spares.
But the star attraction is God’s Own Junkyard which is simply an extraordinary collection of old neon signs.
You walk into a series of dark rooms with high ceilings and the signs are crammed on the wall space in every direction. They evoke a certain kitschy era of marketing and head straight to your subconscious with bright lights proclaiming out loud the availability of Sex, Food, Booze, Money, Freedom, and Sex.
You can also see how this mode of communication through neon was co-opted by emotional and spiritual institutions like Love and Religion. Then there are the stalwarts like Coca Cola, Bar, and the ever-popular Diner.
Neon was discovered by the British scientist Sir William Ramsay in 1898. By the 1920s, using neon for advertising displays really took off. Over the years the use of neon signs has taken on an air of cheapness and seediness. For the most part it is not used in classier establishments, except for a discreet sign for the hotel bar. Neon implies lowlifes and darker urges. The swankier set tend to pretend they don’t exist, although if you are wealthy, Sex, Food, and Booze are always on tap.
Neon signs shout out to the realities of the human soul. They know who you are, and you know where you are. There is no ambiguity. They are also very pretty.
Check out God’s Own Junkyard next time you’re in London and you need a break from museums and expensive restaurants. Lmc
www.godsownjunkyard.co.uk/
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