Gasoline

Background information

"The gas station is one of the most iconic of twentieth century buildings. Recognised across the world, it is arguably most established on American soil where the notion of the road trip on a full tank of gas is culturally ingrained. The images in out-of-print photo volume 'Gasoline' of gas stations taken between 1944 and 1995 have been collected by London based American writer David Campany, purchased from the photography archives of several American newspapers which have been discarding their analogue print collections and moving to the now ubiquitous .jpeg or .tif formats. Marked with the grease pen notations of the newspapers’ art directors, the photos tell of oil shortages, road congestion, crimes, accidents and choking cities. Individually the images are single moments in time; collectively they show a growing consciousness about cars, the oil trade and global concern about pollution.

Content

The photo publication 'Gasoline' by David Campany presents 35 archive press images of gas stations. It can be read as a cautionary tale about the modern dependence on oil, about news photography, about the shift from film to digital imaging, or as a minor history of car design and vernacular architecture." (slightly adapted text, © Mack books, 2013)

About US-american editor and writer, David Campany

Photo books by and with particpation by David Campany