New Jersey Highways at Night

On Cinestill 800T 35mm film

The most peaceful that I ever feel is probably in a car driven by someone else. The latter condition is by necessity: I don’t have a driver’s license (never needed it, until maybe now), so I’m not even sure how I’d feel driving a car. Regardless, when I sit in a moving car, I’m both sheltered from and one with the world. The fluidity of the world starts matching a certain flow within, there is instability, everything changes, but like a stream does, it doesn’t cause anxiety. The sounds are muffled, a near white noise.

At night, this effect is at its highest. Every night car ride reminds me of every previous one, some very precious. It’s almost like traveling out of time, best if there is no particular destination in mind. The highways that I otherwise detest become streams of light.

Gas stations little oases of light. A momentary meditative stillness, the speed of the passing cars heightening it. Then rejoining the stream that is now different, fresh again, just like tomorrow will feel different for this venture outside of regular time and space.

(Again, my thanks to my subscribers, whose support allowed me to shoot this roll of film. Next subscriber prints will be from this roll, shipping as soon as I receive them.)