Huge Roman numerals floating in the sky—the End Times are nigh! Actually, it's a billboard by artist Cayetano Ferrer touting an exhibition at the Hammer Museum titled "Made in L.A. 2012." The amazingly cool installation, located above Hollywood Boulevard, blends into its surroundings and prompted LAist to proclaim, "Finally! A billboard that doesn't ruin the view." True enough, but I think it makes a more subtle and complex comment on the times in which we live. Today, commercial messages are as commonplace as trees, sales pitches sail though the clouds and taglines dot the horizon. Ferrer's billboard reflects the ubiquity of mass media, suggesting, with its nod to harmony, how thoroughly advertising has become part of our "natural" world. For better or worse, it's a sign of more to come.
 |  |