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Black lines covered the floor of the Center for the Arts (CFA)’s Project Space, depicting Buffalo’s highway systems. Entering south of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, one could walk all the way to Canalside. Viewers marveled at the ability to spontaneously transport oneself throughout all of Buffalo without leaving a single room. Immersed in the topography of Buffalo, viewers realized that in Vic Janis’ miniature world, they could be in Elmwood one minute, and Amherst the next.

With a long list of pre-event preparations to complete, Vic Janis ran around all afternoon, gearing up for the closing reception of “Duplex,” her Buffalo-themed art exhibit that occupied the CFA’s Project Space until April 6. After being displayed for a week, it was time for the duplexes — which represented the geography and architecture of Buffalo — to be demolished.

But first, Janis, a senior studio art major, needed to set up the snack table and mingle with guests that ogled at her work.

During their travels through Janis’ “mini Buffalo,” viewers encountered photographs of 36 duplex houses printed onto transparent film hung from the ceiling by string. The maps on the walls — including those of redlining categories, a sincedismantled streetcar system, future metro line plans and the current highway system — drew guests into the geography Janis recreated.

The hanging sculpture and photo installation highlighted the inequities that Buffalo’s highway system and redlining have fostered. The photographed duplexes may look the same on the outside — suggesting equality — but the quality of life varies