19. 09. 2016
This is a Border (Town) – Highway Driving
Driving along the highway to Bordertown, I have a particular experience that taps into my various thoughts on possible discussions and outcomes within this project. One of the prompts for This is a Border (town) is to consider contemporary boundaries and our approaches to them – whether they are real constraints or whether we overcome them. By default, this discussion implies understanding and modes of authorities and people and systems who maintain various boundaries. As numerous cars flashed their headlights at me, travelling in the opposite direction I felt a warm, shared smugness spread over me. This is the implicitly understood signal to watch out for traffic cops, highway patrols and speed cameras. To me, it is a universal (Australian) sign of resistance, a camaraderie between strangers to defy authority.
Of course, it’s fair to say that my van rarely travels at the speed limit – let alone above it!
Image courtesy Regan Tamanui.
James Dodd
