In Passing

Although not about the COVID pandemic, these portraits of interstate drivers and passengers acting out our paradoxical desire for both isolation and connection, do resonate with this moment in history. Cars travel the interstate side-by-side, just feet apart, yet for the drivers and passengers, it is a world of isolation. But that is not quite accurate. Our cars are a rarified space; at once both private and public. Our windowed vehicles create the illusion of privacy and within these small worlds, surreal and dreamlike, people tune out the outside world and appear deep in self-reflection or absorbed in the dramas or minutiae of life playing out in their car. And yet, I, like others, find myself compelled to look at each car I pass, hungrily catching momentary glimpses of my fellow travelers and their personal stories. Throughout my life, I’ve found an emotional refuge in the solitude of a long drive. In 2014, I began long trips in the aftermath of a divorce as a way to step out of daily routines and process this life change. Photographing other drivers similarly occupied brought me comfort but it also made me aware of this curious need to look at each other. It was this phenomenon that intrigued me and kept me returning to the interstate to photograph. In this project I’ve preserved these moments of solitude and contact. Examining the images, I can’t help but feel intimately connected with each person and curious about the circumstances in their life that brought them