When do Landscapes with Utility Wires Become Wirescapes?

- An Experimental Study Focusing on Evaluation Mode -

Abstract

Utility lines are sometime criticized as a prime factor in the unsightly visual impression of Japanese landscapes. This research investigates a cognitive bias leading the landscapes to seem to be wirescapes. Participants evaluated two kinds of landscape pictures: one with electronic lines and another where the lines were digitally eliminated. When evaluated side by side, participants showed clear preference for one picture over the other, typically strong preferences for wire-free landscapes, although when evaluated separately, they showed no preference. The findings suggest that people, at least Japanese people living in Japan, are insensitive to utility lines in their vision and that those who are exposed to wirescapes tend to form a similar impression to those who exposed to wire-free landscapes in a typical real-life situation, where a comparison isn’t readily available.