My Version of "Commute"

I was really inspired by Bryon Darby's lecture last Monday. I loved his portrayal of his Phoenix-bound airplanes as well as his imagery of the water sanitation plant. But his concentration titled "Commute" (http://www.bryondarby.com/photos/commute/ ) was what really got my wheels turning. As soon as you look at it you get a feeling of emptiness and loneliness that hits you like a semi. That got me thinking, would a commute in a different location look the same? I went home to eastern Iowa this weekend, and well, I think I got my answer.

My trek from Bettendorf, Iowa to Lawrence, Kansas according to Mapquest is 404.55 miles which should take approximately 6 hours and 19 minutes (that is if you don't get lost, and with my driving skills, that's almost inevitable). Every time my cd switched songs I snapped a photo, yes I know, not as exact as Bryon's technique but you're going to have to deal with it people!


But despite the lack of professionalism, you can still get that feeling of a lonely void. And ironically enough, that's how I felt, lonely. When riding solo for that amount of time, you do begin to feel lost. (Singing along to Disney show tunes only took up about 2 1/2 hours of my trip). The repetition of the cars, bridges, road signs disorients the viewer and adds to the disorganized feel of the composition. Being here at KU, I get lost sometimes (actually, no let's be honest, a lot of times) and I think Bryon's idea really helps me put into an image, those feelings of loneliness and searching.