united
“21.09 - 09:19, landed.
We leave the airport without a plan and decide to head towards Washington from Boston, passing by York. No highways, just secondary roads, to slow down and enjoy the trip. The indecision to turn left or right, to keep going or come back drives the journey.
America’s not that far”.
United is a journey that shares affinities with two territories and cultures. Starting from the desire to take a road trip, with the clichés of the American photography in mind, a line is drawn across three cities in the UK, all with names that gave rise to American cities with remarkable visibility: Boston, York and Washington.
With this premise, an ambiguous narrative is unveiled, without exactly knowing on which side of the Atlantic Ocean this is happening. A "diner" contrasts with a "pub" in a small village. A military tank bears the two flags. Roadside buildings resemble the American periphery.
The place doesn’t really matter. United Kingdom and United States of America coexist in a fictional construction of a globalized territory, where exchanges are not only homonymous, but mainly cultural. United operates on the unexpected, coincidence and chance. United is about an attentive look directed to the stated parallels, but without certainty of what you will find, with the expectation of discovering, in a course of secondary roads, small coincidences that validate the relationship you try to establish.
francisco ascensão, luca bosco 2019