if an airport is an archetypal 'non-place,' then it appears the term
is somewhat figurative, meaning 'generic place' or depending on a
definition of 'place' that requires a sort of individuality or
uniqueness, as opposed to a mere set of formal characteristics, to
denote 'place-ness.' In either case, it would seem we are on the
terrain of modernity and mechanical reproduction, or, if you will,
Benjamin applied to architecture and landscape. A key film taking a
humorous view of homogenized modern topography is Tati's Playtime. I
don't know about local service stations, which often get very
specifically inserted into the routines of their neighborhoods -- if
they're in neighborhoods. But expressway service plazas, office
parks, office cubicles, fast food joints, and multiplex cinemas are
among the sites that seem highly resistant to any sense of place
defined in local or unique terms. You've seen one, you've seen them
all.
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