Jesus Trolley

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND This research builds upon a body of work investigating the capacity of letterforms to express specific place by its 'typographic complexion' of a city. Among these is the work of Des Hynes, a christian evangelist who has been using his own unique hand lettering to communicate his spiritual quest on the streets of Melbourne for over 30 years. This local voice forms the basis of the exhibition 'The Jesus Trolley' at City Gallery. It shows the potential for the individual to co-opt the familiar modes of branding for a non-commercial purposes. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION Jesus Trolley investigates the unique contribution an individual typographic voice can make to the experience of the street through the development of a personal, immediate and energetic visual language. The research involved the initial proposition to the Melbourne City Council, the appointment of a curator, primary research with Des Hynes, the exhibition design and the writing of an essay for the exhibition catalogue. Although Hynes has enjoyed much media attention over the years, nothing had been formally written about the typographic dimension to his practice as street preacher. A companion essay was written by Dr. Chris McAuliff, Professor of Art at ANU. Research Significance: This research is significant because it explores the potential for an individual to contribute a unique and geographically-sited typographic voice. It observes the connections between the individual, the faith that drives his preaching and the resultant typographic voice through which this is expressed. Over 30 years Hynes' hand-lettering has evolved as the bold visual manifestation of his own 'brand' - an important tool in selling his zealous message of religious salvation.The research importantly positions Des Hynes' work within a historical continuum of evangelical typography. The exhibition received widespread media coverage, most notably in The Age newspaper.