The title of this image is apt; the road looks like something seen in the country rather than the city. If the toxicity here cannot been seen (the trees totally obscuring the view of the freeway) but can be heard and smelled, how can the photo convey some of that 'live' experience? Can that noise and smell be pulled into the critical commentary rather than simply in the design statement?
The image is ethnographic in that it records the view of someone who lives or has lived in the neighborhoods adjacent to the 210 freeway. The critical commentary and design statements emphasize the way that freeway designers (and maintenance-landscaping crews) work hard to create visual 'buffers' between the traffic and the residences. My assumption is that the author is claiming that this visual masking of airborne toxicants (to health) and noise pollution is part of the toxicity of the 210 freeway. The difficulty here is that the normalization of the community's relation
Pervasive poison
I was calmed by this image. It was a rather peaceful landscape - the sunset in the background, the tall trees along the road, and the rows of cars. As a native Californian, this image evoked a feeling of nostalgia. However, knowing that the freeway ison the other side of the trees, I remember the thickening of air around such parts of the city and I remember how such clean lines and tranquil landscapes truly contrast with the reality of the freeway and its impact on the environment.
landscape
