Travis Shaffer’s “Residential Facades”
This artist’s work is a series of 9 photographs of the facades of houses in a suburban landscape. They are lined up one after another, just as if you are driving by them on the street. What I didn’t even realize at first glance was that none of them have windows. This piece illustrates Charles Moore’s analysis of new California cities, with their lack of public spaces and interaction. The houses are standard, with just enough differentiation to be identified by the owner. They are also separate and private. They are essentially islands. They don’t reflect the environment, in fact the lack of windows indicate that they reject the outside environment. They are not tied down to any particular place. These photos could have been taken anywhere. This piece demonstrates Moore’s view that cities today have no definitions, no city edge, just sprawl. The houses are islands, our cars are like yachts, and here we are adrift in a sea of suburbia with nothing to anchor us down and no desire to be anchored down.
Good connection.
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