Lots of Sign: Jamaican Dancehall Signs (2017–)

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Lots of Sign is a photographic series documenting Jamaica’s hand-painted dancehall signs. It takes its name from Tenor Saw’s 1985 song of the same name:

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Life is one big road, with a lot of signs
One big road with lots of signs
Signs and more signs
Come on, come on
Life is one big road, with a lot of signs,
Signs and more signs.

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My photographic practice involves slowly walking, driving and observing, paying attention to the details of a place that might otherwise go unnoticed. I began photographing these signs in 2017, drawn to their colour, lettering and the way they carry music and culture into the landscape. They are more than just advertisements; they are traces of human presence, history, culture and community. Each sign is the product of an intimate act of making, with painters working by the roadside to draw out and carefully paint each letter. This hand-crafted lettering speaks to a close relationship between people, culture and the landscapes they inhabit.

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Over the years, this distinctive sign-painting tradition is gradually disappearing. Each time I return to Jamaica, I look for the signs and revisit places I have photographed. The images conjure up an alternative map of the island, shaped by memories of the road and the ephemeral textual landscape that makes each place unique.

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Conscious that I began photographing these signs towards the end of several decades of their prominence on Jamaica’s streets, the series has become an act of preservation and a small 'love letter to Jamaica', seeking to hold on to something of the beauty, skill and distinctive craft of its hand-painted signs.

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Lots of Sign forms part of my wider photographic series Hand-Painted Jamaica. A limited-edition zine was published in 2020; the last few copies are available here.

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