Roadside Attraction is an installation I thought of several years ago as an all American, amusement park type of work, a freak show on the side of the road or a wagon that could be part of a fair. Could be even setup on a remote country road, doesn't matter. Without and far removed from formal art experiences but using the materials and methods that belong in an artist's studio, and, of course , the provocation. Roadside Attraction was conceived as a circus at a truck stop. I have always been fascinated by American truckers, hauling large trailers on American highways. Last year I drove solo 3000 miles from Florida's Space Coast to the Silicon Valley in California where I spent a large portion of my life in a not so distant past. While on the road I had plenty of time to think, especially driving through West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. I am convinced that at that moment I had the tiniest car in all of Texas, In one small dusty town I suddenly feared that cowboys, who were prowling the nearby hills hunting boar, may actually decide to shoot my tires for fun.
So Roadside Attraction has probably lingered on the back of my head ever since I started moving across the Untied States - I once crossed the States along highway 80 ( Kansas, Colorado, etc) and once along 10 ( Mississippi, Texas, etc ), of course not counting flying. Mississippi had absolutely the worst roads I had ever come across as far as Federal Highways go. I thought I had broken an axel - my little Hundai was shaking so bad and I was in the middle of nowhere in the deep south with a tiny car full of luggage.
Recently I thought of changing the continent for Roadside Attraction which will change its spirit, which is okay. We can always make it a multi-continent adventure. More soon.