How One Trump Neighbor Shows Her Resistance—in Neon
When fashion designer Emma Berg sought to add another element to her slate of protests against President Trump, her Fifth Avenue apartment’s Trump Tower–facing window gave her the perfect forum. Berg reached out to Matt Dilling , the founder of Brooklyn’s Lite Brite Neon Studio , to inquire about creating a "Resist" window sign. Dilling, whose studio features its own "Resist" sign, was eager to take part and suggested that, rather than paying him, Berg make a donation to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood equal to the cost of the work.
Berg has been a part of recent protests and has incorporated a political element into her latest clothing designs, but she knew that her window offered her a special mode of expression. “Knowing that Trump Tower is just right here, it felt incredibly important and such a unique opportunity to put something up saying every day that this isn’t normal. Not just for myself but for the rest of the block and the subway tourists coming and going,” she says. “Just helping people understand that not everybody’s on board with what’s happening and this administration. This seemed like the biggest and best way to get something out there that would draw attention.”
Incorporating neon for the all-red piece was key in the goal of maximizing the sign’s audience. “It will then exist all day, all night long. At no point will people not notice it. So if it’s somebody walking by at three in the morning, they look up, they’ll see it and understand immediately what 'Resist' represents,” Berg says. Getting a professional team to create the sign helps give it credence, Berg feels. “I wanted it to feel that it wasn’t hacky, you know with the whole pushback, all these protestors-are-paid-protestors [arguments]. It’s like, no, these are real people that are out there and care and are putting time and money into it.”
The decision of Dilling, who worked with artist Glenn Ligon for a recent Petzel Gallery show focused on the political climate, to forgo a fee to help further the work of Trump-threatened organizations, delighted Berg, who felt it fit in perfectly with her goals for the piece. “It’s such a beautiful example of how we’re all in this together, doing whatever we can do.”