A grid of four close-up photographs showing fragments of weathered typography. The images feature a black “Düs” on white, a white “3” on red, a white “50” on blue, and a torn white “6” on a dark background.

Graphic artist Patrick Thomas’ found poster collages

Words: Bryony Stone
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Date: 16 February 2017; Work
Graphic Design

Graphic artist, author and educator Patrick Thomas has lived in Berlin since 2011. “My studio is in Neukölln in south east Berlin, home to large Turkish, Arabic and Kurdish communities,” Patrick Thomas tells It’s Nice That. “It is inevitably compared to London’s East End, where I lived in the mid 80s as a student. Eduardo Paolozzi, pioneer of British Pop art, had a studio nearby in the late 80s. With the neighbourhood’s bustling cultural diversity, I can see what attracted him to the area.”

Lately, Patrick has been using his Instagram page to explore an ever-shifting visual facet of the city around him. “Anyone who has visited Berlin will remember the proliferation of posters. They are an integral, ever-changing part of the cityscape, giving oxygen to the streets,” he says. By looking at the letterforms which populate those posters, Patrick encourages us to linger over details which may go unnoticed in the rush of daily life.

“Very simply, since moving to Berlin five years ago I have started walking a lot more,” Patrick explains of the project. “Logically, slowing things down permits you to observe details that you might otherwise miss on a bike or a bus, and posters — like a city’s DNA — deserve closer scrutiny. Instagram seems to be the perfect way to share this material.”

And as for other projects, the never-not-working artist tells us, “I’m currently preparing my second solo exhibition this year that opens in March in southern Germany, and starting to plan a big exhibition in Berlin that will take place in 2018. Paul Davis is in town next month screen printing at my studio, and further ahead I’m planning a collaboration with Anthony Burrill and Eike König, again at my studio. Apart from that, my third book is in the pipeline, and my hugely talented class at Stuttgart State Academy of Art is keeping me busy…”

A grid of four close-up images showing different typographic details. The frames feature a black serif letter, a blue geometric letter “K”, a white character on a red background, and a black cursive “Pe” on gold. — Above
Patrick Thomas

A grid of four close-up photographs showing fragments of weathered typography and street posters. The images feature bold, cropped letters in black and orange against textured white backgrounds. — Above
Patrick Thomas

A black and white collage of four close-up crops of bold, fragmented typography. The images show distorted and overlapping letters on textured surfaces, including a 3D effect and a weathered poster. — Above
Patrick Thomas

A grid of 16 close-up photographs showing fragments of weathered typography and signage. The images feature a mix of bold letters, numbers and symbols in various colours, some of which are torn or peeling. — Above
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of a torn blue poster featuring large, bold black typography. A jagged piece of white paper is ripped away from the top, revealing a grey surface underneath. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A large white letter “F” is painted on a textured blue background. A jagged crack runs horizontally across the middle of the letter and the surrounding surface.

A close-up of a bold, black capital letter “K” set against a white background with rounded corners. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of a wrinkled, grey poster with the lowercase letters “ri” printed in a bold, dark grey font. A solid dark circle sits above the “i” as a dot.

A sculpture of a capital letter “K” made from a heavy black frame. Silver metallic tubes are fitted inside the frame to form the letter. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A bold typographic poster in black and bright green. The large, stylised text reads “Die Nerven”.

A white minimalist illustration of a bird on a red background. The bird is a simple silhouette with a circular eye and a small dot beneath its body. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

The number “46” is painted in bold black characters on a weathered, off-white wall. The paint is textured and slightly worn, with a small rectangular patch covering part of the six.

A close-up of a torn paper poster on a dark, textured surface. Large, white sans-serif letters are partially obscured by ripped layers of white and grey paper. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

The number “12” is stencilled in black paint on a textured white wall. The digits are set within a rough, rectangular grey patch.

A close-up of a white, stylised letter “R” on a bright red background. The paper is creased and wrinkled across the surface. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A large, white capital “N” is pasted onto a dark, weathered wall. The surface is heavily textured with peeling paint and remnants of old posters.

A close-up of a grey, gothic-style letter “P” set against a black background. The letter features heavy, ornate strokes and a sharp point at the base. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of black, cursive typography on a textured yellow background. The letters read “Pe”.

A close-up of a bold, black sans-serif letter “R” printed on a white background. The ink has a grainy, textured finish. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A bold, black capital letter “A” printed on a textured off-white background. The letter has rounded corners and a slightly weathered edge.

A close-up of a weathered wall with a large, orange letter “Y” printed on a textured grey surface. The paint is peeling and worn, revealing layers of old paper and faded text underneath. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A large capital letter “A” filled with diagonal white and black stripes. It is set against a dark, textured grey background that resembles weathered concrete or stone.

A close-up of a black, gothic-style letter “m” spray-painted onto a white, textured surface. The edges of the letter are soft and blurred. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A bold, capital letter “B” is created from three overlapping layers in black, red and blue. The colours shift and intersect, creating a sense of depth and movement against a plain white background.

A white, stylised graphic of a winding, ribbon-like shape set against a dark, textured background. The form curves back and forth in a fluid, organic sequence. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of a yellow surface featuring a bold, black capital “R”. Part of another black letter is visible to the left, and a red vertical line appears on the right.

A mixed-media collage featuring a large, gestural number “4” painted in bright orange. The number is layered over a textured white background with grey scribbles and fragments of other abstract shapes. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of a torn, weathered poster featuring bold black and yellow graphic shapes. The jagged, serrated edges of the colours create a high-contrast, vibrating effect across the ripped paper.

A collage featuring large, white, distorted typographic shapes layered over a fragmented background. The background includes a monochrome portrait of a person and a glimpse of a colourful poster. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of torn, layered paper posters. Bold, black geometric shapes and fragments of lettering are visible against a white background.

A close-up of torn grey paper with bold black numerals. The fragments show parts of the numbers “24” and “023”. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

The letters “GE” in a bold, white 3D typeface against a black background. The letters feature red and light blue extruded edges.

A close-up of a bold, abstract graphic featuring large white lettering against a background of blue, purple and red. A pink silhouette of a horse's head appears on the right. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A high-contrast black and white image of the word “By” in a bold, sans-serif typeface. The letters are weathered and distressed, set against a dark, textured background.

A black, stylised “S” and a chevron shape are laid over a page of German newspaper text. The bold, graphic shapes obscure the columns of print. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of a weathered white poster featuring a large, bold black letter “Ü”. The paper is creased and stained, with the ink showing a grainy texture.

A collage featuring the lowercase letters “au” in bold red. The letters are laid over a grainy, black and white photograph of a textured fabric. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A black and white graphic featuring two rows of bold, geometric shapes. Each row consists of a rounded rectangle followed by a slanted parallelogram.

The number “50” is printed in bold white typography against a textured blue background. The digits are stylised with rounded edges and small gaps in the lines. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A close-up of a grainy, black and white print showing a fragment of a stylised letter “R”. The letter is rendered in a bold, decorative serif typeface on a textured paper background.

A close-up of a black and white graphic featuring large, outlined typography. The word “cho” is visible in a bold, hollow font, with the word “Masc” printed in solid black above it. — Above
Left
Patrick Thomas

A capital letter “R” created from strips of orange adhesive tape. The letter is set against a solid black background.

Further Info

www.patrickthomas.com

About the Author

Bryony Stone

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Bryony joined It's Nice That as Deputy Editor in August 2016, following roles at Mother, Secret Cinema, LAW, Rollacoaster and Wonderland. She later became Acting Editor at It's Nice That, before leaving in late 2018.

Graphic artist Patrick Thomas’ found poster collages

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