Recently in Atlanta vague conspiratorial signs detailing the machinations of some nebulous alien invaders have been popping up on the side of the road. Clumsily hand written in black paint on white poster board, these strange signs have unsettled many. In a game similar to the game of surrealist proverbs and superstitions, we decided to create a few road sign messages of our own, drawing from the experience. (Players: HC, SC, ML)
THE MAYFLOWER SHALL RETURN
BLACK PEARL HIDES IN AXOLOTL SINEWAVE!
THIS ROAD MELTS IN THE SUN
BEWARE THE SOLAR PYRAMID
A SPHINX ALWAYS LOOKS BOTH WAYS
TIME-BODY WILL BREAK ON TUESDAY
MAN INTO BIRD? COVID IS EVOLUTIONARY TRIGGER!
QUIBLY IS IN THE WATER
MAYOR SPECTOR HAS NO NAVEL
HAVE YOU DIFFUSED YOUR LIGHT TODAY?
BEWARE: QUETZAL CROSSING
ATLANTA IS A VERB. WHAT WOULD IT BE AS AN ADJECTIVE? THINK ABOUT IT.
THE MORMYRID OPENS
ADDENDUM: Though these started mainly as conspiracy détournements, I soon found that the most interesting messages to paste up were ones which don’t communicate any obvious meaning or image, like “BLACK PEARL HIDES IN AXOLOTL SINEWAVE.” The sides of roads are so filled with communication, everyone trying to convey who to vote for, what burger to buy, etc. When this kind of poetic anti-communication appears, it’s like an obscene shard or splinter among in its surroundings. It conveys a kind of vague atmosphere, but does not call you to any particular action, like all the rest out there which attacks our senses. It doesn’t attempt to control. It just sits there on the side of the road, merely existing, like some animal. An armadillo on the corner. – SC
