Exhibition preview: Highways:  Photographs by John Davies, Museum of London, London  January 25 – June 16 2013

A decade ago, one of the largest congestion control zones in the world was placed upon the bustling streets of London, abruptly altering the urban surroundings.

Commissioned by the Museum of London in 2001, British urban landscape photographer John Davies took the opportunity to document London’s thoroughfares just before the Congestion Charge was implemented.

Davies explores the major arterial road links which run through the capital, choosing high vantage points to engage unique perspectives which take in not only the road, but also the surroundings.

Acclaimed for his stark black and white images of post-industrial Britain, Davies has departed from previous form and presented all six photographs in the project entirely in colour.

“For most Londoners, we experience these major roads at ground level – with all of the traffic, fumes and noise that brings,” says Francis Marshall, the Senior Curator of Art at the museum.

“John’s photographs give us a welcome distance – one where traffic does not dominate the surroundings.”

• Open 10am-6pm. Admission free. Admission Free. Follow the museum on Twitter @MuseumofLondon.

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