The whole process started out very simply. taking simple line studies and then manipulating them by hand with the different tools was an exercise that help to understand how significant a line could be. just two lines could easily show you a perfect example of a figure-ground relationship in an image. then to see these images change dramatically by making them curved and diagonal was interesting.
An exercise in photography was the next step. Taking all the lines studies that had been observed, and thinking how they would relate to real life imagery in Kansas City was not entirely an easy thing to do. It was important, in the beginning, not to try to find imagery that was too complex lest a formal juxtaposition between the line study and the photograph was too difficult to create.
Within the city, there are so many lines, and objects, and shapes and shades of color. It's quite overwhelming at first to compare the line studies with what one sees in such a large environment. But after much experimentation, things finally started to come together. Though it was difficult not to try to force two things together, however strong they might be in the end. One thing that was learned, which is important, is to let go and to move on when something does not work. It was a lesson in practicality.
Once a series of juxtaposition spreads of photographs and their corresponding line-studies had been developed, it became more clear how they could be changed in order to make the formal comparison more clear. It was necessary to often manipulate the photograph with digital tools, and and to change the sometimes rough/raw line study images so that they would be both visually appealing. A lot was learned by using photoshop to change the photographs, and there was a considerable amount of hand eye coordination that was developed in tracing the raw line-studies for the refining process.
Looking at the series as a whole was a further challenge. there were still more iterations and editing out of an entire spread at this point. It was important to find a good balance of imagery, and tone in order to keep the visual formality.
At the same time there was a vague, conceptual aspect to the configuration of all of the juxtaposed images. I tried to make sure that there was a variety in imagery and to make it clear that what the book was about was simply a modern and veritable metropolis. I liked to notice things that people didn't often bother to stop and look at - I wanted to focus on the things that are always seen, but never really thought of. S
The format of the book changes in by the middle. It goes: aB - aB - aB - Ba - Ba - Ba. This created a subtle, yet in some way noticeable change, which helps somewhat to keep the viewer engaged in what they are seeing, and to perhaps notice the unnoticed subtleties.
