Having left the streets of New York City, I went from the subway culture to the car culture. Taking up residence in New Mexico, I began to ruminate on the mythic Southwest and one of its iconic characteristics: Route 66, a renowned American passageway that is synonymous with spontaneous car travel. I remembered the road trips in the family Chevrolet Impala to literally See the USA in a Chevrolet. We drove cross country from New York to California and back again, often staying in kitschy motor hotels with neon signs that blinked ‘Not/Vacant. As I drove down Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, I was delighted to discover the same motor hotels with neon signage still existed.

Like the birds of frenzy pictured here, I feverishly photographed the motel sign with great excitement, shooting frames until the battery of her camera overheated and ended the session. It was a chilly and overcast day in November 2020, one of my first days in Santa Fe. I was both thrilled and apprehensive of what my future stay would bring, having experienced this Hitchcockian moment that felt like an outtake from The Birds.”