Morrisons Petrol Station, Cardiff Bay
Morrisons, Cardiff Bay
My theme from a City & Guilds project in 2007 was based on the work by Ed Ruscha. The other 25 gas stations have yet to be photographed! My reason for the project was to capture images of our current gas stations before they start to disappear. The world is shifting to electric, then these are going to fade and disappear from collective memories.
Twentysix Gasoline Stations
In getting ideas for my project, I read through this book by Ed Ruscha about a trip he made along Route 66, while photographing all the gas stations that he found on the way.
Edward Ruscha's iconic 1963 artwork, "Twentysix Gasoline Stations", was a collection of photographs taken along the famous Route 66 in the US. The gas stations featured in this series represented some of the most well-known brands in the country, including Chevron and Standard Oil. Each photograph captured the classic gas station architecture of the time. There were tall arches and visible gas pumps to bold lettering and clean sidewalks. These images painted a vivid portrait of Americana at its finest.
View the book by Edward Ruscha 'Twentysix Gasoline Stations' 1963 - the inspiration behind this project.
How did my project go?
My goal was to start photographing all the gas stations in my area. I've not completed it yet, but it's still on my list of photo essays that I want to finish!
In the end my project morphed into one about advertising in general. I found that photographing advertising boards in and around the city helped me to 2 x things. Firstly, I could capture a unique time and place as well as a lifestyle, for example this gas station image will change over time, and I can go back in several years to see how big the tree has grown, if the site still has a gas station or if it has been replaced by another use. Secondly, if there was a way to capture a date on the advertising, then even better as it locks down this particular moment in time. In the end I settled for the advertising campaign that was being run in 2006/7, and that was the move to the banning of cigarette smoking in public places.
Advertising Boards in the Landscape
It would be a great subject, because on the adverts was the date that this law was coming into effect. April 1st, 2007. With a date on my advert, all I needed was to take photographs of areas that included the advertising board. I haven't written up the post yet, but I will link to it from here when I do!
This would make an interesting project to go back over the gas stations that featured in Ed Ruscha's book - to see how they have changed, and how many of the original brands have disappeared or been replaced. Is it now just Shell, Chevron, and Exxon? What about all the originals?
Life just isn't long enough to get all these projects done, but it's great to get inspiration from taking ideas of what's around us.