Tabula rasa is Latin for blank slate, a phrase that is associated with a childlike state of innocence. Empty surfaces in the urban environment are like innocent surfaces only momentarily lacking messages and instructions. Abandoned billboards, empty signs and surfaces seem to be in a state of suspended animation.    Rarely are these spaces left unfilled for long. All these sites are screens onto which we project meaning. Some surfaces are literally screens - the white, blank screens of deserted or off-season drive-ins.   

 

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