The Gastrotypographicalassemblage (a real mouthful) was the 11-meter-wide, handmade, wooden typographic wall that hung in the CBS cafeteria in New York designed by Lou Dorfsman. The custom type was created by Herb Lubalin and Tom Carnase and contains almost 1500 individual characters.
"There are few pieces that represent the typographic and design spirit that illuminated that moment of history, and certainly none on a scale as ambitious." - Milton Glaser.
This month, an exhibition presented as part of the London Design Festival (September 18—26) at Kemistry Gallery (43 Charlotte Road, London, England) will celebrate the work of "legendary designer and art director Lou Dorfsman for the CBS network." Kemistry has been working directly with the restorers of the wall, Nicholas Fasciano and Rick Anwyl, Executive Director of The Center for Design Study (read more here).
The gallery director Alasteir Coel says they have also obtained more than 60 original works for CBS, featuring illustrations from Al Hirschfeld and Milton Glaser. The exhibition will feature these advertising spreads, as well as a half-scale, two-dimensional reproduction of the wall.
Now, say Gastrotypographicalassemblage three times fast, without moving your lips.
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I had heard something about the entire structure of the Gastrotypographicalassemblage being removed during a remodeling phase and stored poorly in a warehouse where most of it rotted away. Is there anything left of it that is available for public viewing somewhere?
The wall isn't currently on public view, but it's housed at the Center for Design Study in Atlanta, where it is being slowly restored.