Channel 19

Citizens' Band Radio is a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals generally on a 40 channel band used for business as well as personal communications. Channel 19 in the United States is reserved for communications between America's truck drivers. The above image is the Cobra cb radio we purchased for our truck and our new life on the road.

In 2007 we began this project intrigued by the trucking culture. The initial idea was to photograph friends of friends who were drivers and drive to truck stops and ask if we may take their portrait. We were afraid from that approach (though there is absolutely nothing wrong with it) that we would never fully understand the life and culture behind driving a tractor-trailer. That our images may be short of our intent of humanizing a stereotyped way of life.

In the spring of 2007 we rode with Frank's father, an owner-operator, for over a month trying to understand what it feels like to be in a truck. The following year we ourselves became truck drivers leaving our jobs, family, friends, and home. We found ourselves in a school upstate NY for CDL training. Two weeks later we were training with one of our country's largest truck companies. Now we have our own rig enjoying the freedom of the road, employed to transport and deliver our nation's goods all over this vast landscape.

We hope you enjoy our future posts on this digital journal which serves to document this process of creating our new body of work and our daily lives as OTR (over the road) drivers. As we find ourselves in different places each day, so too will be our journey.

In Tandem: Colectivo MR

Collectivo MR is an artistic collaboration between Peruvian photographer Marina García Burgos and Spanish art critic Ricardo Ramón Jarne. Their photographic works reveal delicate social problems inherent in our modern society. The images below are from a body of work titled Si No Existe El Más Allá (If There Is No Afterlife). The collective sees art as a social environment and hopes to provoke awareness in a nonpartisan and unbiased manner through their photography. The irony in this series is the use of their models as protagonists in antagonist situations, photographing the poor in native costume and placing them within the contrast of the elite society so often disguised of bigotry.

"If there is no afterlife, the injustice of the poor lingers perpetually."

Jorge Chavez Int'l Airport, Callao, Peru 2007

Restaurant, Lima, Peru 2007

Art Gallery, Lima, Peru 2007

Theater, Lima, Peru 2007

all images © Colectivo MR

Wassenaar and Beyond

Noel Rodo-Vankeulen, photographer and author of We Can't Paint has launched Wassenaar:

"an online publication primarily dedicated to emerging artists and the innovate photography they produce. Each issue is different not only in content but also in terms of its structure, emulating the continual shift of media presented on the web. Wassenaar is published three times a year."

The image below is from the series A Rare Breed from featured artist Julia Baum.

Patrick, 2008 ©Julia Baum

Have a look if you haven't already. We are excited to be part of Wassenaar's group show: Domesticity Redux. Be sure to also check out his current Projects.

Thanks Noel, and we wish you a speedy recovery!

So far.......

... we have driven tens of thousands of miles and consumed almost as much in fuel to watch the seasons change through our windshield. We have seen gas prices reach record highs of $5/gallon now plummeting well below $2. We drove through hurricanes Edouard and Ike and found ourselves working with FEMA who seemed to have learned their lesson after Katrina. We listened on the radio as the mortgage crisis became a world economic disaster. We sent out absentee ballots holding our breaths as we drove across this vast landscape confronted with ignorance, racism, and poverty. Our belief in the American people strengthened as for the first time in our lives have we truly felt proud to be an American. We live vicariously through satellite radio and occasions of broadcast television. We experienced a loss at a difficult time in our family with a 22hr drive straight home from wherever we were.

The infinite open of the road makes us feel like we are watching the world pass before our eyes. Our days blend into nights no longer identified with words and numbers. The fall is now winter conjuring feelings of unease to the thought of rubber and snow.

Much has happened since we left the comforts of the life we once had and are soon to rejoin. We look forward and can't imagine what will happen on the second half of this wandering and appreciate every moment we have to experience and capture it all. Then the real fun part begins: editing!

Audio Teaser III: Pie

Been slacking a bit with our audio teasers: mini sound snippets foreshadowing our new body of work. Sorry for all the noise and feedback, but it's worth a laugh! This goes out to all you PIE lovers out there!

Canon and Obama

An Angel

We were invited among a group of formidable photographers to create an image on November 4, 2008 precisely @600 internet time to take part of an experimental and 'synchronous process of seeing'. All around the world we and over a hundred other photographers stood still with an allotment of 60 seconds to take an image on a day full of tension as the next president of the United States was to be elected. While the genius behind the event chooses to remain anonymous, their primary focus are the images, projects and ideas conveyed through this visual online forum.

The above image is our contribution to mus-mus' first project: @600. 'An Angel' not only reflects the graphic image of the man who has made many Americans feel patriotic for the first time in their lives, but is also a representation of the child angel who left us days before such an event.

On 26Nov you can view mus-mus' @600 project in its entirety here

Super Obama World

Zensoft has created Super Obama World, an online video game modeled after Super Mario World. With a satirical take on US politics, have a play here and help Obama fight lipstick-wearing pit bulls, lobbyists, and even Sarah Palin!

Lay Away

Discount retailers like Walmart and Kmart record increases of profit despite the downturn of our economy (partially due to their layaway policies). The Isley Brothers had it right the whole time before the credit card became so fashionable! Here's to putting the plastic away, imminent gratification and helping boost our economy (and inadvertently China's).

thanks npr for bring back memories and oldies but goodies!