The Seventh Bardo

Interstates. Not a subject many find fascinating. The word prompts mental images of endless concrete structures and bland landscapes. But I find the interstate to be an intriguing liminal space, unique to contemporary America. I shot this series while driving on the same Southeastern interstates I grew up on. As a young woman, the interstate symbolized freedom. As an adult, I turned to the interstate an introspection that I could only find on a long drive through its empty landscapes. The Seventh Bardo presents the interstate as a kind of bardo. ‘Bardo’ is a Tibetan term, meaning ‘an in-between space’, and usually refers the state of existence between death and rebirth. The interstate lies between where we were and where we’re going. Separated from our fellow travelers, the landscape we traverse, and the responsibilities of our lives, I feel we can step outside the confines of time and space and just be; with the thrill of speed or with an internal journey of contemplation and reflection. These landscapes re-envision the view outside the window as a no-man’s land beyond normal time and space. It’s the external projection of restless souls caught up in an internal world.