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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Eight: The camera as time machine: linking the past to the present > Ice cream sign, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2006
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11-JUL-2006

Ice cream sign, Flagstaff, Arizona, 2006

As I watched this blur of a man, cell phone clasped to his ear, rush past copies of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Arizona Republic, it occurred to me that if he was in the same spot eighty years ago, he would probably be thinking of enjoying a delicious slab of Mission Ice Cream. This fading message from Flagstaff's past overwhelms the scene, but he will never see it. Yet my camera did, and for the moment anyway, this image juxtaposes two entirely different visions of time.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/80s f/4.0 at 21.9mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time11-Jul-2006 13:50:51
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ30
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length21.9 mm
Exposure Time1/80 sec
Aperturef/4
ISO Equivalent80
Exposure Bias
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis19-Jul-2006 22:52
Celia -- your thoughtful comment makes me think of the pervasive role of advertising in our society that goes back to the the earliest years of our country. We are indeed not that different from the era depicted in the ice cream ad. It also underscores how desensitized we have become to such blandishments. You are right -- he may be fleeing from everyone past and present trying to get grab that piece of him. He could be shouting on the phone "Get me out of here!" And Jenene-- you are right. This must be one of those superhighway guys, consumed with the tasks he must juggle. As much as we think of the past as a more relaxed time, there were probably plenty of one-track minds back in the days of Mission Ice Cream as well.
JSWaters19-Jul-2006 18:07
I'm relating to this in terms of it's relevance along Rte 66, on which traveler's could indulge in a leisurely drive complete with vistas of traditional Americana. They eventually got to their destination, but were treated to some special stops and sights along the way. This guy is a superhighway guy - get me there as quickly as possible, no time to stop and see, smell or taste anything. I have a feeling his type has always been among us, just more pervasive now.
Jenene
Cecilia Lim19-Jul-2006 14:43
Wow! This image is a great commentary on life in the present world Phil. The juxtaposition here about the values of societies in different times is glaringly different. Back then it was pleasure in the simplest things like ice-cream. Now, it's money, business, jobs, technology. But I also wanted to add that although there appears to be significant differences here, we are still not all that different from the past. We in the present are coherently linked to the past by our culture of advertising. Products and lifestyles are sold to us everyday - these come and go, but as long as money is to be made, we will always be bombarded by messages telling us what we need! I can also see this image as a commentary on how people need to disconnect from our chaotic world of sales pitches to protect us from selling our souls to them. Is it any wonder why this man has become desensitized and indifferent to all that is trying to grab a piece of him?
Phil Douglis19-Jul-2006 05:27
Well said, Iris -- to me this man rushing by the newspaper dispensers creates a perfect metaphor for our times, which, as you say so eloquently, seem to be defined our lack of time. There is no time for contemplation of anything but the future. Meanwhile, the past, represented by the ice cream sign and nature, suggested by the tree, dominate the image. There is much for us to see, to feel, and to think about --but as you say, that simpler life is fading away. It can only be appreciated if we hang up the phone and stop running.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)19-Jul-2006 00:02
This guy isn't just walking; his long stride indicates that he's in a rush to get somewhere. People always seem to be in a rush with time becoming a very valuable and endangered commodity, so much so that we even have to talk on the run. There isn't even time to peruse one of the many newspapers he just passes by without as much as a glance (he's probably indifferent to world and national events anyway and given the declining turnouts, he probably doesn't even take the time to vote?!!) and certainly no time to contemplate an ice cream. These pleasures emanate from a simpler life that's fading away like the ice cream sign.
Phil Douglis16-Jul-2006 23:16
It is a photographer's task to see what others will not see. I saw the clash of eras you mention -- the old sign and the news dispensers -- and then photographed dozens of people as they walked past them. I wanted to juxtapose a layer of indifference and this man provided the opportunity. The lean of his body, the blur of his wide stride, the voice in his ear, create a cocoon of indifference that makes this image express the ideas I intended. Thanks, Ceci, for getting it.
Guest 16-Jul-2006 22:18
Ceci
This marvelous photo seems to typify part of what's amiss in our modern day: people so rushed and unheeding that not only does what once existed get forgotten, but the effect of an over-saturation of "news" available in dispensers cluttering up the sidewalk. The guy is a walking office, probably with his laptop in the shoulder case, and his wide stride makes him look like he's in quite a hurry. No time for ice cream, or even a pause to look up through the soft leafy canopy under which he walks. A super juxtaposition! Bravo, Phil!
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