Gods Own Junkyard
Original Soho Neon Sign
£2,400
A unique vintage neon sign made by Gods Own Junkyard's Chris Bracey, exclusive to House of Voltaire.
Edition Size
Unique
Dimensions
123 x 30 x 11 cm
Finishing
Acrylic fronted neon light in a metal casing with a UK 3 pin plug
Courtesy Gods Own Junkyard
About The Artwork
Known as ‘The Neon Man’, artist and founder of neon wonderland Gods Own Junkyard Chris Bracey lived an extraordinary life, from sign-making for seedy Soho sex shops to prop-building in the movie industry. Following a chance meeting in the 80s with a film art director in Soho – Bracey was putting up a sex shop sign at the time – he had begun to make neon props for movie sets. His work can be seen in films as diverse as ‘Batman’, ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. The Rainbow Fancy Dress and Sonata Jazz Café signs in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ are both his. In Bracey’s own words “What you’ve got here is Sodom and Gomorrah mixed with art.”
About Gods Own Junkyard
Chris Bracey founded Gods Own Junkyard in London's Walthamstow in 2013, housing his life's work and constituting the largest collection of neon lighting and signage in Europe. The warehouse crammed with neon remains as much a gateway into the future as it is a step into the past.
The son of a neon sign-maker, Bracey worked for the family business after attending art school in the 70s. It was only much later that a Bruce Nauman exhibition at the Hayward Gallery allowed Bracey to see the potential of sign-making as an artistic pursuit.
After a period of time making neon signage for Soho sex shops, Bracey started creating props for Hollywood films. The art and fashion world also embraced Bracey, he made signs for Martin Creed and was commissioned to create displays for Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. In 2005, he worked with David LaChapelle on the photographer's "Vegas Supernova" window displays for Selfridges. Gods Own Junkyard has also served as the backdrop to editorial shoots for Vogue.
Towards the end of his life Bracey begun to receive attention as an artist in his own right, in 2012 he was given shows at the Los Angeles and Miami galleries of the contemporary art dealer Guy Hepner, and in 2013 he had his first London solo show, 'I’ve Looked Up to Heaven and Been Down to Hell'. “It’s how my life’s been, I suppose,” Bracey said of the title.