Urban Surface Archive
An archive of London surfaces, scanned before they disappear.
, Urban Surface Archive, By Filippo Romano
Every print starts as a pass of a handheld scanner across a London wall: paint, posters, tags and weather, recorded before the city covers them over.
About the work
Filippo Romano makes prints from London's walls. Instead of photographing them, he passes a handheld scanner across posters, paint, tags and weather, recording each surface directly. Most are painted over within weeks. What remains is the Urban Surface Archive: a record of the city's skin, kept after the wall has moved on.
From the archive
Scanned, not photographed
A handheld scanner records each London wall directly, with no lens and no perspective.
Archived before it's gone
Posters get covered and walls get repainted. Each print keeps a surface the city has since changed.
Credited to the street
Tags and marks belong to their makers. Recognise yours? Get in touch to be credited.