january 13, 2023
I do struggle sometimes with the fact that I like cars so much, that cars fundamentally represent such a large portion of my work, and that no matter how hard I try to escape the gravitational pull of the automobile my work (of abandoned motels and old gas stations and other mausoleums to the American ideal of the road trip), even devoid of cars, always seems to reflect my inner fascination with cars.
But admittedly, 1) they are a huge part of life in America and 2) my hyperfixations chose me, not the other way around. No one would claim that Eggleston's work shooting shitbox 50s cars in the mid-70s was worse for including the cars; the man had a way of using American automobilia like few others because he fundamentally understood that cars begin life as status symbols and slowly become litter, and he shot every phase of that process with a keen understanding of a vehicle's life cycle. I hope, someday, my work feels the same to me.
I'm probably not there yet, but in an attempt to let myself try, I will make today's photo simple: here is a photo of some garbage in a landfill that I found interesting.
