Written: 8/3/2012
I’ve never heard of road tattoos before, I think it’s just another name for public art on a road surface, and that’s okay. But in Chicago, there is a really awesome road tattoo commemorating LGBT troops.
The design is based on galloons, the decorative gold braiding found on dress uniforms. Not only do galloons add pomp and ceremony, they are a public indication of the wearer’s rank and years of specific service. In the road tattoo, the galloon braiding coalesce then unravel when viewed from a vehicle driving over it alluding to the ever present interaction of the personal and the public self. Yellow in color as a nod to the gold of galloons, it is also a reminder of the caution these earlier service members faced when presenting their personal information.
Check it out here, pretty awesome. I especially like the unraveling and coalescing, I like the imagery of public and private lives and having to keep the two working in tandem.
All my best,
The King of Spades
