In his book The Railway Journey: The Industrialization of Time and Space in the 19th Century, historian Wolfgang Schivelbusch writes that “annihilation of space and time was the early-nineteenth-century characterization of the effect of railroad travel.” A traveler’s understanding of his journey was reduced to origin and destination, essentially destroying the in-between space. In the two centuries since the advent of the railway, the progression of travel technology in combination with the industrialization of and resulting migration to urban areas throughout the world has made these in-between spaces virtually obsolete. However, the spaces that people today fly over or drive through are actually more than that: they are places. Elements of culture and history exist here that are just as unique and important as those found in our origins and destinations — perhaps more so. Nations have come to be defined by their cities, but in order to achieve a fully developed sense of national identity and consciousness one must understand the lives of those around them, especially those that are so frequently passed over, under and through.
With this project, I aim to promote awareness and interest of these in-between spaces by presenting them as a destination. I am using both photography and prose to document the experiences, culture, and history I accumulate throughout the course of the summer in a way that will immerse an audience in that which it is so accustomed to skipping over. My goal is to provide my audience with a better understanding of life in small American towns; additionally, I hope that I will inspire people to stop and consider exactly what — and who — they’re passing by in future trips.
Kelsey Agnew
Emory College ‘09
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