Shadows of Time

'Ads are the cave art of the twentieth century.' Marshall McLuhan made many such comments regarding the nature and social relevance of advertising. In Shadows of Time, Nathan Anderson juxtaposes incredibly nuanced photographic images of cave art from the southwestern United States against recognizable contemporary advertising that demonstrates that McLuhan's words were more than just ideas; they were reality. Shadows of Time explores the interplay between the advertised promise of a technological utopian future and ancient American petroglyphs, ruins, and rock formations that represent humanity's early efforts to externalize interior thoughts.

Accompanied by an informative essay by W. Terrence Gordon, McLuhan's official biographer, that responds directly to Anderson's photographs, Shadows of Time is more than an homage to Marshall McLuhan, it reveals the beginning of humanity's design tendencies, shows how we have changed and indicates where the future leads.