MW | Real Unreal | Le Coupez Sign

One of several signs I made for the Real Unreal Alleyway.

There is a narrative element attached to this sign. You can call the number listed when inside a MW exhibit and reach Coupez’ voicemail.

Coupez is a neighborhood treasure, community center, barbershop, place to play cards, place to get your quinceanera dress hemmed— you name it.

I wanted to imagine a future where a local community was able to thrive and persist. I wanted to show the adaptation and resilience that exists in a community that has a strong hub and the creativity to the materials that are available.

I was also thinking about the difference in the perception of romance languages. How (in the US) french is used to elevate and deem something to have class and import. Spanish doesn’t have the same reputation. I think there’s something inherently racist in that truth. I used the blackletter font because it has such a complex history with the development of the written word in mass communication.