A television station in Las Vegas shows how an artist with the Neon Museum has brought old neon signs seemingly to life, using what he calls “augmented restoration.”
The technology holds huge implications for the scores of inoperative neon signs along Route 66.
Here’s the report from KTNV:
The report explains how reviving old neon is visually possible through artist Craig Winslow’s efforts:
Winslow starts out digging through the archives, researching what the signs looked like back in their heyday.
“What color the neon was, how they were animated,” he said. “Then I digitally trace them in a program like Illustrator and I animate them all together.”
To make the illusion convincing, Winslow has to perfectly align his animated projections onto the physical signs themselves.
The end result? Signs that have gone dark for decades appear to light up like new.
“It actually brings these [signs] back to life without harming the actual historical significance of the objects themselves,” he explained.
One can envision how a small town or business district can use these technologies and projectors to seemingly bring defunct neon signs back to life.
Full restoration obviously still is an option. But if money or cooperation from a property owner is lacking, this is an alternative to bring Route 66 travelers to the past.
(Screen-capture image from KTNV video of Craig Winslow and “augmented restoration” neon signs at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas)
Very interesting! Thanks for locating and sharing this video.