Lee Materazzi Miami, Florida, b. 1982

The alliterative title of this photograph by Lee Materazzi, Betty at the Bus Stop, prepares the viewer to see Betty, but not to see Betty with plates of food, about to pour coffee onto the ground instead of into a cup. Even though the shift at Bagels and Company is over and no one is around, Betty cannot seem to break character. Materazzi’s photograph generates several questions about the routine tasks that we perform every day, notably at work. What if the roles we perform at work continue into our commute home? While it is seldom that few of us return home fully in “character,” it is worth asking what aspects of ourselves stay with us when leave work. How long will she hold the pose? How long after work do we continue to be animated by routine tasks of daily life?