While traveling the desolate highways that were once thriving along California, Sinziana Velicescu captured her photographic series Interstate 5.
She describes her aesthetic approach as an anthropological curiosity. These old highways and interstates that run throughout the United States once were buzzing with life. Now, the roads have become a testament to the past. It is passing through various ghost towns and rural populations. From these photographs the viewer can create stories about the life that once stretched along the vast stretches of pavement.
Velicescu composes her photographs in a square format. This underrated aspect ratio is making a comeback in contemporary photography. In the square shape, she composes frag-mented landscapes of the landmarks that once stood brand new along the road. Today, they are deteriorating but stand as a emblem of America’s rich history of the mid 20th century. Velicescu is allowing the viewer to use their imagination even more when it comes to the history that once was here by fragmenting the landscape and architecture. It takes away context from the images. Velicescu abstracts the subject and surrounding to give less so the viewer can wonder more. The signs make them think about what they once said, or windows that once brought light into a business that are now boarded up. Cars that now stand vacant but once someone created memories with them. The images bring back a nostalgia to the viewer and lets them take a break the reality.
- Keri Halloran
