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Thomas Zeller Presents Consuming Landscapes: What We See When We Drive and Why It Matters

OU Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, The University of Oklahoma wordmark
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Illustration of a yellow car parked at the side of a road and three people looking out over a wide landscape.

Please join us Friday, November 17, 2023, at 3:30 when Thomas Zeller (University of Maryland) Presents "Consuming Landscapes: What We See When We Drive and Why It Matters." 

What we see while driving reflects our view of societies and ourselves. When the automobile was still young, an early twentieth-century group of designers sought to build scenic roads that would immerse drivers in the landscapes that they were traversing. Indeed, these professionals envisioned cars and roads, if properly managed, as saviors of the environment. As cars became more popular, however, drivers became less interested in enchanted views; safety became more important than beauty. These clashes between designers and drivers resulted in different visions of landscapes made for automobiles and the kinds of roads we drive today.

Email hofsci@ou.edu for the Zoom link.