life or meth?

These billboards have been appearing in the Twin Cities of late. This one is at Snelling and Como. In and of themselves, they're not particularly interesting but I find them so when I look at them in conjunction with other signs and objects in the immediate area. Looked at with the twin-bulb lamp their implication of a choice and a weighing up of options becomes pronounced, I think. And then, when juxtaposed with the "One Way" sign on the entry to Snelling from Como they acquire an almost religious tone (The "Way" to salvation?) Or maybe just abstinence?

Spliced against the "Karate Junction" sign, the billboard brings to mind associations between meth and violence. Both the "before" and "after" photographs have a somewhat omnipotent feel, which creates an uncanny feeling given the rather dull character of the intersection. Welcome to my neighborhood.