Autopia-Paul-Walsh.jpg

Milton Keynes has had a close relationship with the car ever since its creation 50 years ago. Designed with utopian principals in mind, it is the only place in the UK built on a complete grid road system. Formed by a complex set of avenues, dual carriageways and roundabouts, the grid allows the uninterrupted movement of cars throughout the town. The grid is comprised of 11 roads running from north to south and 10 running from east to west called V and H roads (vertical and horizontal).

Paul Walsh walked around the periphery of the Milton Keynes grid using an A-Z map, a distance of approximately 30 miles. He was curious to experience walking in a town fundamentally designed with cars in mind and to discover the places at the edge of the grid. The performative act of completing the walk was his principal concern. He made photographs to document his walk and to consider how cars and motorised transportation have shaped the modern landscape, and become an indispensable part of our everyday lives.