Marc Shur

Sign Language by Marc Shur

“I’ve always been drawn to old things—the worn, the distressed, the forgotten”, says Marc Shur of his fascination for old advertising signs. “Many of the signs I’ve photographed are virtually invisible to most people. They pass them every day but they don’t really see them. Their colors have faded, their paint is peeling and they can’t compete with all the new, shiny things around them.”

These signs from days gone by take us back to the beginning of advertising, to the consumer culture of the fifties and sixties with its still undelivered promise of prosperity. Shur’s search took him across the whole of Southern California, where he captured signs from old gas stations, motels, diners, and burger bars. Authentic symbols of the American Way of Life.

Like Ed Rusha before him, Marc Shur turns the signs into heroes of the past. Removed from their urban context they become visible again, a fascinating array of classical typography and retro-design. “I strive for a sense of hyperrealism and a graphic feel in my photographs, wanting the signs to be larger than life, appearing much bigger and important than they do in real life. I want people to see the colors and details as if they were standing just a few feet away.”

Digital Photography Magazine, September 2012
New York Institute of Photography, August 2012
Imprint, July 2012