Exhaust Pipe Scultptures, Johannesburg, South Africa.

This series was photographed in 2008 by architects Anne Graupner and Thorsten Deckler (of 26’10 south Architects). These ‘sculptures’ are assembled by informal road-side repair men and used as signage to attract passing motorists to their trade. Made of recycled car exhaust parts the abstract structures signify the service on offer without relying on more literal forms of text or graphics. Due to their informal and ostensibly ‘illegal’ nature the businesses remain transient and temporal. The signs are re-built every day, often in different configurations and designs. The installations are dotted all over Johannesburg and are predominantly found in neglected, interstitial and overlooked areas of the city.

Anne Graupner and Thorsten Deckler