INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC AND SITUATED DISPLAYS

Public, situated displays are a ubiquitous part of our environment and visual culture. Prehistoric cave drawings, framed photographs, blackboards in classrooms, posters, billboards, flip charts, road-signs and point-of-purchase displays are all visual forms of communication that play a vital role in the way we understand, navigate and behave in our environment. They inform us about places, amenities, and events of interest and reflect the activities of others. They offer a rich resource around which conversations and group activities are structured, complementing verbal communications and shaping group dynamics. They act as important cultural reference points in the construction of shared meanings, beliefs, desires and the memories of groups and communities. Changes in the design of displays over the years reflect important changes in environmental, cultural, political, economic and architectural circumstances. Technological shifts have had a particularly noteworthy impact, in terms of the materials and media from which displays are constructed and in terms of the broader technological context within which they are situated. Roadside signs are a particularly good example of this: their form and function has shifted with the emergence of materials such as neon and modern plastics, with the evolution of transportation technologies and with the influence of mass media communication technologies such as television (Mahar, 2002).