Driving 6000 miles in three weeks isn’t an incredibly easy trip, even when planned two years in advance. We slept in tents and spent 70% of the time in the cab of the oversized truck we borrowed from fellow traveler Ed Pecis (James’s Dad, who resides in Weed, California). Regardless, we were always smiling and had one of the best adventures of our lives. I guess this project was a selfish exploration and introduction to a continent I love so dearly but didn’t really know. Before leaving I knew I wanted to find something to concentrate on and document – Christianity was one and the other was the bonding father and son, Ed and James, were taking on after the death of Ed’s father a year previously. Subtly touching on both, by way of it being there all the time, the photos took a course of their own due to the organic approach we took to the adventure.
The trip is about freedom in an isolated America. The idea of summer breaks, drinking beers, diving off rocks by small towns was everything I had hoped for. I got to meet a lot of different kids at campsites, riverbanks and in fairs from California to Idaho. Without using any form of itinerary other than a rough direction and what Ed recommended, anything discovered along the way seemed to be a bonus and intrigued me even more. The feeling of luck when meeting an interesting group of kids or random preacher who just happened to be there at the same time was second to none. Serendipity was a word thrown around a lot. The Christian element isn’t obvious in the work but it was constantly there, not always visual. In a way everything reverted to the fear of God and almost everything was labeled Christian, from all the bands in the Boise state fair to the 'Porn Hurts Everyone' sign in the yard opposite an adult store in Newport, California. Completely observational and not at all critical, I realised the importance of belief and opinion in small towns and rural America. There are some influenced opinions in USA for sure, but the people I came across were inspiring and craved to know about us and from where we had come. Their lust for information outside of the United States was intense, I just hope they get to do what they dream of. We just did.
Article for AnOther Magazine online. If you can be arsed to read it again the link is....
http://www.anothermag.com/current/view/988/Porn_Hurts_Everyone
Follow it, innit, on McQ's Tumblr
http://www.m-c-q.com/
"Porn Hurts Everyone" exhibition to be confirmed...
