FIPS Broken News: Kentile Floors Sign to Be Lit Again
J. Charles | Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 7:00AM 
pic by Tim Barltett
You've seen it from the elevated F or G, you've seen it stuck in traffic from the Gowanus Express and now you can see it "lit" for the first time since the early 90's. The Kentile Floors sign sitting on top of the former flooring factory on 9th Street in Gowanus will be all alight for one night only this coming Saturday, May 3rd.
The project is the brainchild of three local artists the filmmaker Tim Bartlett, George Del Barrio of the Vanderbilt Republic, a Gowanus-based artist coop, and Karl Meher of K2imaging also based in Gowanus. As reported by the Daily News three local artists have come together using 3-D projection technology to light the 8-story sign from another location. That means the sign itself will act like a screen with a 3-D projector placed in the office window of K2imaging about a block away.
Tim Bartlett said that he used a photograph of the sign and traced it so the group would have a guide for the projection. Bartlett told the News, “We’ll use this as a guide to make video that fits inside the letters.” The video will make the letters appear to be their original neon red color. The process is called "projection mapping" and it requires wrapping 3D video around the object it's projecting on to.
Why the Kentile Floor sign? Bartlett says “It’s an old sign that’s an iconic part of the area and Brooklyn in general.” And he's right, the sign which has stood since 1949 was nominated to Census of Places that Matter in 1996, and I've seen its image on everything from T-shirts to wedding invitations. Gowanus Furniture even has a cutting board named after the sign.
The sign will be lit to mark the opening of an art show at Vanderbilt Republic. George Del Barrio, founder of the creative agency said it best: “Taking something as landmark status as this, and giving it new life, puts forward an incredible commentary on what is actually possible.”
I think it sounds pretty neato so get out there on Saturday and support some ambient art (is that a thing?).
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