Geotype Submission

The Geotype project charts the rich history of lettering and type forms that have established the identity of cities and towns around the world. Explore the map

How does this letter-form communicate its location?

Evidence from an industrial past Grünerløkka became Oslo’s industrial district in the 1800s (Godal and Askjer, 2020). One of the most famous factories was an iron foundry (Godal and Askjer, 2020), which might explain why I found so many iron letterforms during my recordings. Thus, these letterforms can be viewed as a representation of Grünerløkka’s industrial past. I decided to go with this particular image of Sagene fire station as I found it ironic, considering Grünerløkka had to build their buildings out of brick instead of wood, in order to avoid fires. Although the letterforms represent the historic part of the district, they hardly represent the contemporary identity, which I find more trendy and modern. Yet, the quirkiness of the letterforms could be seen as a reflection of the excitement and buzzing feel of Grünerløkka.

Location

Sandakerveien 58A, 0477 Oslo, Norway