*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
***
SIGNS and INSTRUCTIONS
A RR Crossing sign…
the yellow rectangle in the sidewalk…
in New York City, a tree stump might be dangerous…
in Washington state, tree cutting is serious business…
a ferry’s emergency evacuation slide…
DO NOT ENTER THE WATER…and other ideas….
a weathered sign…
the Un-sign…
chalked instructions on the street.
Thinking About Signs:
From Buddhism and Postmodernity, by Jin Y. Park:
Language itself is…”an arbitrary sign system, and the “signifier cannot claim anything about the nature of the signified. Language functions on a tentative agreement between the signifier and the signified. That this agreement is tentative, however is frequently forgotten: in the naming process the signifier is identified with the essence of the signified, and this essence is further reified, paving the way to create a fixed Truth, which in turn assumes a central role in one’s understanding of the world and of being.”
Charles Sanders Pierce’s theory of signs, from the Stanford University online encyclopaedia of philosophy:
Basic Sign Structure
I define a sign as anything which is so determined by something else, called its Object, and so determines an effect upon a person, which effect I call its interpretant, that the later is thereby mediately determined by the former. (EP2, 478)
What we see here is Peirce’s basic claim that signs consist of three inter-related parts: a sign, an object, and an interpretant. For the sake of simplicity, we can think of the sign as the signifier, for example, a written word, an utterance, smoke as a sign for fire etc. The object, on the other hand, is best thought of as whatever is signified, for example, the object to which the written or uttered word attaches, or the fire signified by the smoke. The interpretant, the most innovative and distinctive feature of Peirce’s account, is best thought of as the understanding that we have of the sign/object relation. The importance of the interpretant for Peirce is that signification is not a simple dyadic relationship between sign and object: a sign signifies only in being interpreted. This makes the interpretant central to the content of the sign, in that, the meaning of a sign is manifest in the interpretation that it generates in sign users. Things are, however, slightly more complex than this and we shall look at these three elements in more detail.
bluebrightly 
nice series! the un-sign is spectacular.
LikeLike
I loved that too – it’s a sculpture at a border crossing between the US and Canada. Thank you.
LikeLike
The unsign is amazing!
LikeLike
Yes! It was a wonderful surprise.
LikeLike
Yp, the unsign is impressive. Had to study it a bit to see what it was… great stuff altogether.
LikeLike
The un-sign is brilliant, don’t you think? Anything that makes you question your perceptions is fun, in my book!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I must say that I love the wooden sign whose “signifier” is so old that it has rolled up and hidden itself. There’s something highly symbolic about that . . .
LikeLike
I can count on you to use your head Lynn, as well as your eyes! 🙂 And I love hearing from you!
LikeLike
Oh, I loved this post, Lynn, since you challenged the head as well as the eyes! When I teach garden design, I talk about creating “signs” in the garden – the path that is the arrow to a significant destination, the open gateway that is an invitation to enter the space – I guess that is playing with the interpretant element 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, and here’s the song your post triggered for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYsBDmqJfjQ
LikeLike
Great signs! Love the rainbow arrow. 🙂
LikeLike
It’s full of life and happiness, isn’t it? Not to mention a well-intentioned contrariness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
From the subtle sublime to the almost shout-out for the hard of hearing, let alone a who care’s about water contamination and possible drowning. A fabulous collection Lyn!
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
The weathered sign made me smile and the Un-sign is just brilliant!
LikeLike
Makes sense to me! Smiles for the poignant weathered mystery sign and appreciation for the artist who created the un-sign – and appreciation to whatever border agency put it up there!
LikeLike
Brilliant! 😀 Thanks for sharing!
LikeLike
Thanks for commenting my friend!
LikeLike
Love that un-sign!!
LikeLike
Me too – kudos to the artist and the agency that put it up for so many to see.
LikeLike
Great series of photos, so creative and crisp ~ and the quote by Jin Y. Park is perfect. Wish you a great weekend.
LikeLike
Cool, thank you for picking up on that! 🙂
LikeLike
Puts me in mind of this classic one-hit wonder by Five Man Electric Band: Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign . . . http://youtu.be/oeT5otk2R1g
LikeLike
🙂 thanks!!
LikeLike
Wonderful series. The Un-sign of course is tops!
LikeLike
It’s a terrific thing to see when you least expect anything like that, amidst governmental buildings and such.
LikeLike
What a cool post! the ‘unsign’ is kinda brilliant.
LikeLike
Thanks – yes, I was in the care so very happy to get any kind of a shot of it.
LikeLike