{"id":311179,"date":"2025-08-02T05:59:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311179\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T05:59:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:59:14","slug":"the-guerilla-artist-behind-glasgows-hilarious-fake-street-signs-reveals-why-he-does-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311179\/","title":{"rendered":"The guerilla artist behind Glasgow&#8217;s hilarious fake street signs reveals why he does it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The anonymous artist has placed spoof signs near Glasgow landmarks to make people smile and notice their surroundings<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Glasgow.jpg\" alt=\"A picture of George Street with St George's Tron Church of Scotland in downtown Glasgow\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>A mysterious artist is putting up spoof signs across streets of Glasgow to surprise and amuse passers-by.(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">A mysterious artist has been quietly placing spoof street signs across <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyrecord.co.uk\/all-about\/glasgow\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"GlasgowLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Glasgow<\/a>, aiming to bring a moment of surprise and humour to those who stumble upon them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">The anonymous creative, who goes by the name <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/asignofhumour\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"@ASignOfHumourLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">@ASignOfHumour<\/a>, has installed dozens of handmade signs near city landmarks. The sites of some of his more prominent signs include the Barrowland Ballroom, the Finnieston Crane, and the Glasgow Science Centre.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Each sign is intended to make people pause, laugh and take in their surroundings, and maybe even look up from their phones. What began as a light-hearted way to spark joy has become a larger project for the artist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">He revealed to the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cn5k0ny6p2wo\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"BBCLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">BBC<\/a> that his work has been inspired by a growing sense that many people were missing the beauty of Glasgow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cThe main goal is to spark joy,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it really started as a response to a lack of appreciation for Glasgow and its surroundings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Though his real identity remains under wraps, the artist admits his children are in on the secret.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cThe kids know because I will run designs past them to get their opinions and things, but they&#8217;re very much under secrecy not to tell people about it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it&#8217;s done anonymously then it&#8217;s about the sign, it kind of adds to the fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Made from painted plywood and topped with custom vinyl lettering, the signs are installed using cable ties so they can be easily removed without damage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyrecord.co.uk\/all-about\/environment\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"SustainabilityLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Sustainability<\/a> is a key part of the project, with materials chosen to be recyclable and reusable.<\/p>\n<p>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Unlike traditional graffiti, the signs are placed in a way that avoids interfering with traffic or cluttering busy areas. Most are found on footpaths, near rivers, in quiet parks, or along cycle routes, where passers-by can take a moment to enjoy them without distraction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Glasgow has a long-standing reputation for public art and murals, and recently hosted the UK\u2019s first major exhibition of Banksy\u2019s work. While this new artist admires Banksy, he says his approach is different.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">\u201cI love Banksy\u2019s work, but this is more about subtle moments of silliness and connection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Among the signs already placed around the city, some of the artist\u2019s favourites include a Doctor Who-themed design beside a police box, a warning about pterodactyl nesting near the dome-shaped IMAX cinema, and a sign that depicts the OVO Hydro arena as a spaceship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">A few have even appeared outside the city, in places such as Largs and Bonnybridge, the latter known as the UK\u2019s UFO hotspot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Some of his creations have gained attention online, with one in particular going viral on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailyrecord.co.uk\/all-about\/instagram\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"InstagramLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">He said: \u201cPeople post photographs of them on their own feeds and I noticed that one of them seems to have gone absolutely viral, so it&#8217;s got people from all over the world commenting on it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Despite the guerrilla nature of the installations, he has never run into trouble. He says he would willingly remove any sign if asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Looking ahead, the artist hopes to take his signs further afield, with plans to visit Edinburgh during the city\u2019s August festivals.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The anonymous artist has placed spoof signs near Glasgow landmarks to make people smile and notice their surroundingsA&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7826],"tags":[748,824,1102,918,4884,37452,712,70309,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-311179","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glasgow","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-doctor-who","10":"tag-edinburgh","11":"tag-glasgow","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-largs","14":"tag-scotland","15":"tag-ufos-and-aliens","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}