The visualization and caption demonstrate the extreme form of infrastructure required for the methanol production process, questioning the taken-for-granted nature of the entire supply chain, as well as the economies required to support this massive engineering feat.
One possibility would be to juxtapose this piece of a petrochemical plant with the finished petrochemical plant. This image is already very powerful however. Another option would be to slightly lighten the shadows so a little more detail is visible.
This found image is of a part of a methanol chemical plant being transported on a rail car. The image is compelling, as the proportions of the cargo and the infrastructure supporting it do not seem to match. The image almost conveys a sense that the bridge might collapse at any moment, and definitely an affect of unease.
This visualization and caption advance ethnographic insight by revealing a piece of a methanol plant isolated from its complex. This out of context perspective allows the viewer to more fully reflect on both the scale of the production process, as well as the entire supply chain infrastructure required. The un-natural aesthetics of the structure in this format also communicate or foreshadow the toxicity of petrochemical production and emissions. Presented in a mundane surrounding the structure is ominous and unfamiliar which makes the viewer think critically about its function— versus images of petrochemical complexes, which often have a certain, almost normalized image, and this familiarity can limit an understanding or troubling of the actual production method, or the substances produced.