Doorway to a Future

The original image shows tallgrass prairie land giving way to an iconic American symbol, the McDonald’s archways. Next to the fast food giant, smaller lights can be glimpsed through the prairie grass. The article discusses continuing development in midwestern America, causing tallgrass prairie lands to become smaller, contained, and more scarce.

My remixed image explains the doorway that we have opened, the path that we have chosen, as humans have opted in favor of land development. The skyline shows tiny silhouettes of the buffalos that used to occupy the land, as flames project into the sunset -- signs of beginning destruction. We also see more views of American “progress” in land development: more pavement, more cars, more buildings.

Brandenburg, J. (1980, January). Can the tallgrass prairie be saved?. National Geographic, 157(1), 44.

Kate Szumita, Doorway to a Future. 2016.