In summer 2010, our good friend Diana Scheunemann undertook an eight week road trip clockwise around the USA, starting and ending in New York. The aim of the trip was to photograph, film and explore the multiple facets of American identity from Diana’s unique perspective…
The people that she met, filmed and photographed en route have become part of a project that she calls Love American Skin which she is presenting online, in gallery exhibitions and in a feature length art film with the same title.
Love American Skin – Trailer from Diana Scheunemann on Vimeo.
When asked about her motivation behind the project she explains:
“I was curious. New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, that’s not proper America. I have heard so many stories: the people in the mountains hate the people from the city; the North looks down on the South and all of them are wary of the people and places they don’t know. So my boyfriend, our dog and I set off for one summer in a car to find out for ourselves. The USA is so large, with so many dimensions. We drove 10,128 miles, through 21 states, and experienced temperatures between 35 and 118 degrees fahrenheit (2 and 48 degrees celsius). My boyfriend became my husband halfway into the trip. Over 60 days we filmed and photographed 60 people. Everyone we met on this journey was enriching and welcoming. They let us into their homes and hearts. They took the time to show us their lives. They were so interesting to listen to, if only sometimes for the briefest of moments.”
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Diana Scheunemann is a celebrated Swiss/German photographer who currently lives in New York City. Whilst being regularly in demand for commercial and editorial campaigns, she has spent over a decade travelling and capturing the personal scenes from her life with provocative honesty. Her unique vision has led her to be commissioned by celebrities across the world.
The core ethic behind all her work is the desire to explore the boundaries around our ideas of personal freedom and humanity. The concepts of interest are: sexuality, nudity, tragedy and elation. She portrays these conditions unflinchingly. She aims to show human experience in the broadest and truest light, and without judgment.