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A special neon window display in memory of local artist
A special neon and lightbulb-filled window display in a Walthamstow Village office was unveiled this weekend to mark a year since the death of a famous local artist. Chris Bracey, who died in November last year after a battle with cancer, was the founder of Walthamstow’s God’s Own Junkyard, which supplied props for films such as Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, Tomb Raider, Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Batman franchise.
The window of an office shop, in Orford Road, Walthamstow, is now completely transformed by neons and lightbulbs. The grand switch-on took place at 7pm on Friday (December 4) at Village Square, 47 Orford Road, Walthamstow. The idea is to get people talking about the old Victorian corner shop which was previously called Frank Ison’s hardware store. Born and bred in Walthamstow, Mr Bracey’s 40-year career was inspired by his father, Dick Bracey, who founded Electro Signs, in Vallentin Road, Walthamstow.
Mr Bracey became renowned in the 1970s for re-inventing the majority of Soho’s strip clubs with exotic typography. More recently, he designed and installed London’s largest neon display above Selfridges. Many of his designs can be seen at God’s Own Junkyard in Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernall Street, Walthamstow. He created the Junkyard to house his growing collection of neon artworks, salvaged signs, props and sculptures including a Doctor Who Tardis and over-sized glitter balls. The designs have become a tourist attraction, with visitors from across the globe.
A year after his death, the display is bringing colour to the village. Village resident and curator of the design, Danny Coope, said: “It’s an unusual, purely street-facing exhibition space, prominently positioned beside the village square on a largely pedestrianised street. “It provides a gallery experience from the safety of the pavement to an audience who may not ordinarily visit galleries.” “Chris used to look into the shop window when it was a hardware shop and his wife is really chuffed with the idea.” “There will be a bit of a Christmas theme and we hope it will remain until the New Year so people have plenty of time to see it.”
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