My family commitment to a single car (recently enhanced by a scooter) has afforded me the unique experience of walking to work and using public transportation in Los Angeles. These street life experiences have opened my eyes to the two parallel universes built into the fabric of this city. In the one universe, life is experienced at 65mph between destinations, with the space in-between filled with death defying maneuvers and regular experiences of road rage. The 10 minute or 2 hour commute encased in steel and glass requires minimal observation concerning the world outside of the windshield and inside the “cage”, as motorcyclists call cars, music and cell phone conversations maintain a link with the protected and controlled life at the points of departure and arrival. All of the sights, sounds, and smells of street life are blocked by the protective bubble of the automobile.

In the other universe, the sounds and smells of the city’s streets are absorbed into the fabric of a person’s identity. Point A to B is a confusing warren of bus routes and treacherous street crossings. Sometimes the route travels through hostile territory with the hazards of gang affiliation, racial identity, and sexist taunt a constant threat to safety. On the other hand, every shop window, crack in the sidewalk, barking dog, missing parrot poster, mural, and blooming plant becomes a sensory accessory to the daily commute. The sidewalk is the commuting equivalent of the “slow food movement”. It takes longer, requires more effort, but tastes really good.

I recently came across the work of Slinkachu a London street artist who photographs “little people” in ordinary places and leaves them behind for the unsuspecting pedestrian. His work is a wonderful homage to those wonderful little discoveries that come from walking from point a to point b. The message of “little people” is that taking a walk could lead to unpredicted discovery. You might meet the neighbor who moved in down the street, learn the name of your postal carrier, discover a new plant for the garden, smell a blooming flower, or see little people left behind by an artist.