From the Sidelines - A Journey on Route 66

A Project by Delphine Bedel and Luke Nyman

Although the Route 66 is known to be a scenic road and a celebrated myth, Route 66 is most of all about the people who live and work along it, and who keep it’s unique spirit alive. Created in 1927, the route was for over half a century the main access from East to West, crossing 8 states. Decommissioned in 1984, Route 66 officially disappeared, to be replaced by new Interstate Highways. This created a great strain for the economy along the old road and its inhabitants. A renewed interest in the recent years for the Route’s rich patrimony and it’s legacy, central to the American history, is now contributing to a regaining popularity, transforming the Route itself into a tourist destination.

Drawing a parallel with the emergence of Plymouth in the late 19th century as a tourist destination, as seen in Burbank’s photographs, Delphine Bedel initiated a new research project entitled ‘From The Sidelines’.Crossing the country by car for a month together with the singer-songwriter Luke Nyman, during the first 100 days of Obama presidency.

Bedel photographed the stunning scenery, the eclectic architecture and the people, and Nyman played in many places along the road. Together they also filmed and recorded stories from the ‘Children of the Mother Road’: a cowboy’s wife, motel workers, war veterans, artists, musicians and historians, all had stories to tell. From the Dust Bowl years to the Credit Crunch, from the New World to the Trail of Tears, (the forced exile of the Cherokee Nation), from the Grand Canyon to the ”Magnificent Mile’ of drive-thru chain stores, unexpected perspectives unfold along the journey across Obama’s America, and reflect upon a country in a disrupted present.

This project was commissioned as part of the exhibition ‘Holland Mania’ at the Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, Holland, & has been exposed in Lumen Travo Gallery in Amsterdam. At the openings, Luke Nyman has performed live sets, including music & soundscapes written whilst on their roadtrip.