still from 45 Minutes of Nothing
Repeat airing of 45 Minutes of Nothing at a certain hour for 32 days consecutively, totaling 24 hours of nothing.
The collapse of the dot-com bubble that took place during 1999–2001 left many billboards in San Francisco blank with only a, bright, white rectangle present. I documented blank billboards throughout the city to celebrate the absence of commercial messaging.
Documenting the world going on happily around the billboard’s blank message captured nothing of particular interest but allowed me to enjoy a pause, a focused meditative state. This blank billboard was documented in an increment of 45 minutes, the duration of a television episode without com- mercial messaging.
Today, San Francisco is thriving and experiencing another boom in the tech industry. The value
of real estate and space is at an all time high and it is unique to see a blank billboard. Tune into “45 minutes of nothing”, and find a wonderful time to pause for reflection and a break from visual form and an opportunity to focus on nothing.