Urban Topologies Denver, Colorado 2012
With all the buildings, freeways, concrete and asphalt in a city, it’s hard to get a feel for the actual shape of the land underneath, or to even remember there is an underlying natural topology under all the development. I was imagining that the rough surfaces of these traffic barriers were manifestations of the hidden local terrain exerting itself.]]>
Larry…I really like this idea! It seems like it would be a different way to photograph the urban environment…finding ways to suggest that there IS a natural landscape beneath the concrete. I think the photo from yesterday…which you saw as an abstract skyline….could also be understood as a suggestion of the mountain ranges in the distance of Denver. Maybe there’s a new series of work here…
Ironically, in places like Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX, the urban landscape (tall skyscrapers) bears no resemblance to the actual landscape of the TX plain.
Kathy
Thanks Kathy. I think in flat places like Texas (and Kansas where I’m from) the urban topology is suggestive of what they wish was underneath. Even though I’ve developed a much greater appreciation for rolling plains landscapes as an adult, as a kid I would not have minded if Wichita, KS has some mountains around it. In fact when I took a rock climbing class at Wichita State University as an undergraduate we spent a lot of time climbing the local artificial urban topology, e.g. the outside of the gym, the football stadium, etc.