Amtrak 188: My Journey, Their Stories, Our Country
ARTIST STATEMENT
Lance Kriesch
I rode Amtrak around the perimeter of the United States, documenting the places I saw, the people I met, and the stories they shared. I was on the train for roughly 188 hours, and traveled over 7,600 miles. I intend to show the drastic variations of our country and its landscapes, as well as the people that call it home. Compiling them into one body of work to contrast these extreme variations with the fact that this is all one country, we are all one people, and each can be appreciated for its unique differences and beauties. I also seek to convey the atmosphere of the train itself; like a deep breath. Time seems to slow down as one travels across grasslands, swamps, and mountains, stopping to pick up and drop off travelers at towns big and small. Passengers are free to wander about the train, grab some snacks at the café, dinner at the restaurant, or just hang out on the observation car playing games, reading, or chatting. No matter what, this moving environment seems to bring people from all different backgrounds and geographical places together. Further demonstrating my goal and hopes for society to not view differences as issues, but rather as beauties. To appreciate, understand, accept, and learn from them. I believe that everyone has a story and each holds special values and lessons that we can all learn from; just as each landscapes holds special wonders and resources for life. That no matter where one is, or who one meets, a connection can be made and acceptance can be reached, if not a relationship formed. To fully capture and communicate this, I journaled extensively throughout the trip, documenting everything that happened, as well as the stories of those I photographed. I left all the decisions up to the subjects; where and how they wanted to be photographed as well as what they wanted to write about.
The final goal for this project is intended to be in book form, but below is a current digital representation of how I want it to look. I intend to break it up into separate booklets for each leg of the trip, including all the journal entries, putting my writings alongside the landscapes, and the people's stories alongside their portraits. Hoping that turning the pages of the book will be like traveling along beside me picture by picture, person by person.
