Initial Research - Hurry Up and Wait: James Tribble & Tracey Mancenido

When starting my research I quickly identified that I would have to try and steer clear of looking too much at great American road trip photographers and their books. I am fairly familiar with the American road trip iconography; the huge expansive landscapes, American diners, long straight roads...the list goes on. Although this style of work greatly fascinates me, and I find it very inspiring, it is a very different world on the roads of Britain! What makes the books and projects of the American road trip photographers so successful gets lost when attempting to recreate it in the UK.

However, I am still going to look at a selection of US based photo projects, to take influence from the key elements that the photographers look into, starting with the work of James Tribble & Tracey Mancenido called "Hurry Up & Wait". Hurry Up & Wait is an ongoing collection of images intimately exploring the often conventionalized and fantasized life of America’s trucking culture. For this project, the artists Tribble and Mancenido assume the role of both voyeur and subject, dedicating over a year as employed truck drivers. This unique portrait of America examines a way of life integral to the country’s commerce-driven consuming culture. Their still compositions transform the grit and grime ubiquitously associated to the subculture into provocatively quiet meditations of life between loads.

The aspect of Tribble and Mancenido's work I especially like is the concept of assuming "the role of both voyeur and subject" - the photographers are living the life they are documenting, and this is a very important thing to consider. Artistically, the few images do not stand out for me; they may have potential when viewed together in a book, but I feel that they lack interest and depth. 

However, I still think this body of work is inspiring due to the concept of the artist being a part of the documentary, rather than as an outsider.