There aren’t many people in these photos, but there are a lot of signs and lettering. In a way, they are a substitute for people in this landscape. The omnipresence of signs and advertisements is typical of the American West. People weren’t able to establish proper settlements, but it seemed to me that they painted big signs everywhere so that they wouldn’t feel so isolated and prove that they really conquered the country. It’s like getting to the North Pole or Mount Everest and finding a dozen flags planted by those who have been there before, to prove the fact that they’ve been there. In the US, the culture of lettered monument is overwhelming and fairly advanced. It involves a lot of imagination, originality, and detailed work on shadows and outlines. The pains that are taken and the sheer love of lettering that is apparent in neon writing or ads are extraordinary, and the result often has real beauty.