Searching for the origins of a São Paulo city lettering practice: an investigation on British architectonic epigraphs

• Grant number: 13/23282-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: April 20, 2014
• End date: July 19, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Industrial Design - Visual Programming
• Principal Investigator: Priscila Lena Farias
• Grantee: Priscila Lena Farias
• Host Investigator: Catherine Rachel Dixon
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of the Arts London (UAL), England

Abstract

Architectural epigraphs are inscriptions containing the names of architects, engineers and builders engraved on the façades of buildings. Previous studies indicated that they are commonly found in the central area of São Paulo city, and that they also occur in other cities in Latin America and Europe, including London. This research project has as main objective to better understand the incidence, distribution and configuration of London's architectural epigraphs, in order to compare them to those found in the city of São Paulo, aiming to ascertain if the practice of including this kind of inscription on the façade of São Paulo city buildings could have been influenced by a similar practice found in the UK. The development of this research project at the University of the Arts London / Central Saint Martins is justified by the importance of this institution for design research, and in particular for research on typography and lettering in the urban landscape.