Artisanal watchmakers MB&F have collaborated with Swiss photographer Ulysse Fréchelin to release a book and photography exhibit called American Trucks, an artist's look at America's iconic trucking industry and the behemoths responsible for hauling goods across the country.
Fréchelin took all his shots over a two-week period at various truck stops along the Arizona-New Mexico border. The heat and intensity of the sun become playthings for the artist's lens.
Through his use of close-ups and unusual camera angles, Fréchelin destabilizes the image, forcing us to take a second look at trucks and their components, things we take for granted.
Under the artist's gaze, familiar, even iconic aspects of trucks, such as the imposing front grille, are repurposed in the eyes of the viewer.
There's something of an outsider's admiration for America's open road mythos at play in these photos. The open road and the freedom it represents are suggested in every frame.
Every image from the exhibit will be available in a limited edition of large-format prints.
The book also functions as a memoir of his travel experiences, which include being arrested under suspicion of being a cargo thief.
The American Trucks book is available in a 100-run limited edition, each of which will be numbered and signed by the artist. The Swiss poet Blaise Hofmann penned the introduction.
MB&F's M.A.D. Gallery is hosting an exhibition of the photos to celebrate the book's launch, but you don't have to go all the way to Geneva to appreciate their beauty.
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Photography