From "Road Trip 3" Chicago South Loop - Oak Park

  The "Road Trips" are a series of videos that question the perception of the everyday excursion. In American culture, the "road trip" is emblematic of the wanserlust of the United States, best seen in Kerouac's "On the Road". It is also known as a metaphor for a "getaway", "Walkabout on Wheels", or vacation, with pop cultural references like "Thelma and Louise", or "National Lampoon's Summer Vacation". The road has been a powerful part of American culture.

In this ongoing series, I have strapped a Flip Mino mini camers tot he front bumper of my 1996 Saturn SW1 at a height of 5 inches from the pavement. Each "Trip" is literally a documentation of my everyday or occasional travels on the higway from the vantage point of 5 inches from pavement rushing 75 MPH beneath.

These are also about speed and American culture. When looking at these, I think of the great filmic chase scenes, Elvis in "Grand Prix", the grindhouse classic, "Crazy Harry and Dirty Mary", and the movies of Steve Mc Queen.

But these are my everyday trips, to go shopping; to go to work. But when I put my head 5 inches from the concrete through the vicarious experience of my camera, It's the realization of the american fantasy and love affair of speed and vicarious enjoyment of risk.

When your head is 5 inches from the pavement, I'm Steve Mc Queen, man... And so are you.