“Independent, self-sufficient. When I can’t drive, I don’t want to exist anymore.”
That’s a quote from Idella Hansen, a female trucker interviewed and photographed for “Sisters of the Road,” a new book by now London-based artist Anne-Marie Michel.
“My initial plan was to hang out in truck stops and speak to them as they arrived. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. I waited for days,” Michel reportedly said. “When I did eventually see one, I ran across the parking lot waving my arms trying to get her attention but, of course, she ignored me and kept driving.”
The limited edition work introduces 40 truck-driving women as they travel the American landscape, telling their heartfelt stories of work and life on the road. Michel reportedly knew little about driving trucks when the project began. But she drew inspiration from a childhood cross-country road trip with her mother and sisters.
“We did it in four days. The trip was a pivot point in my life. I realized, we have autonomy, and that when things get tough be resilient, keep moving, and find a solution,” Michel reportedly said.
At 14, Anne-Marie rode shotgun, helping her mother navigate a 1,400-trek from an affluent Houston suburb to the small town of East Liverpool in Ohio, before the advent of GPS. Once Michel peeked into the sometimes misunderstood world of truckers and the unique experiences of women in a male-dominated profession, she was hooked.
“When I actually met these women and saw that what they were doing and how there’s this whole amazing culture around it, and the way these women live, their lives are so resilient and independent, and constantly on the move and always on to the next thing, always solving the next problem,” Michel reportedly said. “I had no idea what these people are going to be like. I just really was impressed by the won wisdom and learned the knowledge they just inherently had, like the way they moved through the world. Doing these really hard jobs and, basically, constantly having to problem-solve on the move all the time.”
Before compiling the images and stories into a photo book, Michel showcased her work in spaces across Europe. Her photography showings include the following.
- 2022 Sisters of the Road, Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, Barcelona, Spain
- 2020 Sisters of the Road, Arte Fiera /Art City, Bologna, Italy
- 2019 Michelle Kitchen from Sisters of the Road, Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Glasgow, UK
- 2019 Sisters of the Road, RPS/Hundred Heroines – Lifestyles & Portraiture, London, UK
- 2019 Sisters of the Road, PEP FishTank, Berlin Photo Week, Berlin, Germany
- 2019 Sisters of the Road, Hive, Royal Photographic Society/Hundred Heroines, Blackpool, UK
- 2019 Sisters of the Road installation, Royal Photographic Society/Hundred Heroines, London, UK
The recently released book includes iconic images of everyday female truckers as well as some high-profile industry people. For example, Real Women in Trucking founder Desiree Wood tells her story in “Sisters of the Road,” with 39 others.
Sources:
https://www.sistersoftheroad.com/
https://www.huckmag.com/art-and-culture/on-the-road-with-americas-female-truckers/
https://www.sistersoftheroad.com/shop/p/sisters-of-the-road-book
https://www.fleetowner.com/news/media-gallery/21248164/sisters-of-the-road?id=21248164&slide=2
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