Ed Ruscha's series
Thirtyfour Parking Lots in Los Angeles is a wonderfully deadpan study of the graphic qualities inherent in the built landscape when observed from a great height. Photographed predominantly in 1967, Ruscha's photographs depict, much like the title suggests, an array of vacant parking lots strewn throughout Los Angeles County. Each uninhabited lot protrudes from its environment, revealing traces of occupancy in the form geometric oil slicks visible in each individual space. Ruscha's detached view of urban sprawl presents the viewer with a seemingly objective representation, a mere social record. However, these photographs address the functional, and often wasteful use of public space and natural resources.
From Top to Bottom:
(Pierce College, Woodland Hills) 1967
(Good Year Tires, 6610 Laurel Canyon, North Hollywood) 1967
(Eileen Feather Salon, 14425 Sherman Way, Van Nuys) 1967
Photographs from the series
Thirty-Four Parking Lots in Los AngelesAll Images © Ed Ruscha
