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The Torn Posters in the Paris Metro (May 2023)
Documenting the signs of spring below the French capital
Ads are like trees — they change with the seasons.
Now that spring has sprung, I’ve noticed a lot of posters in the Paris metro promoting holiday destinations. Whilst the weather might still be in a state of flux, with wind and rain reminiscent of New Zealand’s North Island, days of endless sunshine are surely just around the corner.
And so while the underground spaces in the Porte de Clichy metro station might be wind tunnels, rattling rips in posters against their will, more and more, the posters themselves are featuring beach houses, castles and countryside.
After months of gloom, the sudden shift in scenery on commercial spaces is quite refreshing. But anyone who’s worked in retail — or at least a retail-adjacent industry — will know how strange it is to produce date-specific work months before the date itself.
When I was working for a shopping channel, I began crafting a Christmas campaign in July, a good five months before the festive season had gotten underway. The result of this premature execution was that when 25th December finally arrived, it didn’t even register. I had spent so much time immersed in Christmas imagery throughout the year that the day itself…
