SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Where the rubber meets the road one finds a unique perspective on contemporary art and culture. In Southern California’s freeway system there lays a modern landscape created by the hasty tempo of today’s suburbanite.

Artist Susan Lakin photographed the “road marks and lateral landscapes that sped by [her] vehicle,” capturing what would become an awe-inspiring series of “Freeway Landscapes,” on display June 14 through July 28 at the Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum at Cal State San Bernardino.

“By photographing what has become a banal part of our everyday life and transforming it into a simulation of the pristine landscape, I hope to address the reality of our contemporary urban landscape and the commuter culture,” said Lakin.

Lakin used infrared film to portray the vast amounts of visual information our minds subconsciously absorb on a daily basis. “These combined elements create a graceful blend of man made structures with nature, yet leave an electrical tension in contrast to the perceived serene landscape,” she said.

An opening reception will be held at the Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum on Thursday, June 14, from 4:30-7 p.m., with a preview for “Friends of the Museum” at 4 p.m.

Lakin, a freelance commercial photographer since 2000, has had her work professionally displayed in art galleries nationwide since 1995. She is a recipient of many awards, including the Sibley Window Exhibition Award in 2006, and an FEAD Grant for the “Freeway Landscape” series in 2001 & 2004.

Lakin earned her M.F.A. in art studio from UC Santa Barbara and is currently an associate professor of photography and digital imaging at the Rochester Institute for Technology in New York.

Susan Lakin
Freeway Landscape #2, 1999-2004

Susan Lakin
Freeway Landscape #3, 1999-2004

Susan Lakin
Freeway Landscape #20, 1999-2004