At first glance, the image seems commonplace and its subject unclear--actually, my eye was initially drawn not to the line of cars but to the river, thinking that was the site of the toxicity in question. It is an indication, perhaps, of the ubiquity and taken-for-grantedness of the automobile in the modern world that it so often fails to inspire our attention, interest, and concern. A closer look at the picture, however (aided by the author's gloss), reveals that this is a case of a modern technology being funneled into another era--into a world that has not yet been remade in its image--concentrating it and problematizing its incursion. The effect is to give the cars in question a more ominous hue and to make it easier to imagine the harm they do to those who must endure their toxic outputs.
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