The Fuel Economy

Few things allude more to the fuel economy than the motel (or motor hotel). Quintessentially American, the lowly motel typology has long been celebrated as a symbol of the wide open expanses of this vast country. Ed Ruscha’s fantastic depictions of gas stations is one of the best examples of the elevation of the theme of the Southern Californian car-road-motel vernacular.

There’s certainly something very unique about the typography and scale of the signs (massive) vs. the buildings themselves (tiny) that makes for a distinct subject matter. Shot deep in New Mexico.