Keep on Truckin'

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’ investigates the dreams, hopes and aspirations that exist for truck drivers; including long hours and long periods of time away from their home base. Through the use of photography, video and audio, this project examines the role of the truck driver within the vast transportation of warehouse goods including "classified" or nondisclosed materials. This project has taken into consideration the complexity, diversity and wanderlust that exist with in the industry — including the demands the job place on partners and home life, to understanding the idea of ‘home’ itself. The artist team, driven by curiosity, conducted research at truck stops within the Central Valley, yet the subject’s travel and live across the United States and comprise a work force that is not defined by gender or race.

The artist team (Melissa Chandon and glenda drew)...

discovered their shared interest in truckdrivers and truckin' culture while working on another video project in Madison, CA, where they saw gravel trucks personalized with driver names using a kind of vernacular typography and other graphic design elements.

This sparked their interest in led to a visual investigation at a truck lot in West Sacramento and initial visual research was a viewmaster reel.

The truck images in the "photos" section above range in size from 17" to 24" in height and 240" in width and are printed on paper and vinyl. Many images are taken while driving at speeds up to 80mph on California freeways, while motioning to the drivers to get their consent to take the photos

Melissa Chandon is a painter. Her work is shown domestically and internationally and is in many museums and private collections. Melissa’s investigation as a painter has focused on suburbia and the many trappings that accompany the house. The introduction of 1950s suburban tract housing made individual homeownership a reachable ideal and forever changes the nature of the American landscape. Homeownership in the U.S. continues to drive the economy and symbolize personal success. There are many issues associated with the complexity of the house; of course, truck drivers, trucks and distribution systems that support suburbia are part of that equation. Keep on Truckin’, a collaborative investigation, has led me on an investigation specifically, into the transportation of consumer goods. Through the use of photography and personal interviews, we have gathered information on a world, hidden in full view. Her CV can be found here.

Glenda Drew makes media for social change. Her subjects include farm workers, food servers, truck drivers, young feminists and country musicians. Using time-based and interactive media, she seeks to engage in conversations that are less likely. From scratch and sniff trading cards to viewmaster reels, from visual databases to time-based portraits, she uses the language of media and technology to present a counternarrative. And, although she loves to collaborate with other artists, she almost entirely builds her own projects! She is currently an Associate Professor in Design at UC Davis. Her CV can be found here.