Word on the Street Archive

Early logo for the Word on the Street COVID-19 rapid response archive, 2020
Early logo.

Word on the Street is a rapid response archive put together by V&A/RCA students Freya Purcell, Genevieve Drinkwater and myself in 2020. It gathered the rapidly disappearing signs, children’s drawings and floor paintings which had been generated in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The archive has now been migrated to an instagram page for posterity.

Unfortunately I had to step away from the project due to bereavement, but worked on the initial database design, graphics and promotional material. Freya and Genevieve were awarded the Design History Society Virtual Event Award (Student) for the archive in 2024, and I’m really happy seeing that they’ve realised the work we initially envisioned.

Initial image accessions for the Word on the Street COVID-19 archive, 2020
Initial image accessions.
Preliminary map of Word on the Street archive submissions, credit Freya Purcell, 2020
Preliminary map, credit Freya Purcell.