185 x 155mm. Open unfolded 185 x 3504mm
Presented in silver slip-case
As we race to meet the future with ever alarming speed, are we not in danger of trampling over the best ideas from the past in our desperate desire to get something 'newer and better'?
Remember supersonic passenger planes replaced by ones half the speed, light bulbs replaced by ones that are dimmer, CDs replaced by the awful compression of MP3 sound files, film cameras that worked instantly replaced by digital ones that take an age to boot up and then power-down due to low battery, remember your old mobile phone that only needed charging once a week replaced by one that needs to be plugged into the charger every night, remember when cars actually had personality and style only to be replaced by characterless computer-designed bubbles that you can't repair in your garage because the engine is now managed by computer, remember when houses had garages, remember houses that were built from bricks rather than square boxes made from plasterboard, remember when you went to the movies to actually see actors and impressive set design rather than a mishmash of computer special effects flashing across the screen at 60fps, remember old furniture that was actually made of wood only to be replaced by cardboard tat from ikea, remember CRT tvs that could display proper true blacks replaced by over-sharpened unrealistic LCDs plagued by motion blur, poor frame refresh rates, bleeding edges, clouding effects, poor blacks, poor uniformity and image fall-off when viewing from even the slightest angle, remember non-polluting trams replaced by diesel fume spewing buses clogging up our city centres, remember trains where you could actually open the windows, remember someone having a job that didn't involve sitting in front of a computer screen all day, remember having sex with your partner rather than sitting in bed playing dumb-ass games on your tablet, remember a world before laser-guided smart bombs, ramjets and shoe-bombers?
The Wuppertal Suspended Monorail is the world's oldest surviving electric elevated railway having opened in 1901. It runs from the west of the town to the east, passing directly above the streets before following the path of the river through the centre of town. In April 2013 I spent three days riding the train alighting at every stop to photograph each station along the route.
(Apologies to Mr Ed Ruscha)
