The “American Road” project is a combination of sound and vision; a multi-sensory traveling art exhibition encompassing photography and text, with a soundscape to complement. “American Road” consists of the black and white photography by Nicholas Syracuse along with an original music soundtrack created on and inspired by the “American Road”. This soundtrack features audio samples recorded by Nicholas during his photographic travels. These recordings consist of both natural and mechanical sounds ranging from trains, birds, water and surf, street musicians, etc. Nicholas is currently collaborating with several recording artists to create a soundscape that represents the triumphant testimony to the many dimensions of the human spirit found on the “American Road”.

This unique and groundbreaking combination of photographic, musical and sound elements will to form a symbiotic relationship. This fusion of audio and visuals elements will complement and enhance one another and create the dynamic sensory experience of what it means to be on the "American Road".

This project will be executed in many phases, the first consisting of a gallery exhibition where the photography is displayed and the soundtrack is played overhead. The second phase will encompass a book where the photographs are printed along with written descriptions of these images and a travelogue of the road excursions during which they were captured. The publication will also contain an audio disk, which the viewer can play on their personal sound system while viewing the photography and text. A later phase of the project may include an audio-visual collage using video footage and spoken word material.

At the heart of the “American Road” is the photographer’s vision of The Road. Nicholas Syracuse uses The Road as a metaphor for many things. Primarily he sees it as a process; the act of searching the exterior world in hopes of gaining a better understanding of the inner world. He sees this as a quest for experience, significance and beauty in the midst of a people and landscape intertwined within struggle and transcendence. Nicholas has this to say about his process and inspiration: “When I am on the road, I enjoy the solitude of the seemingly endless miles, and a life suspended in time. It’s a beautiful ride where you are neither lost nor found, but acutely aware of the importance of each moment entangled in the chaos of perception. Photographs become symbolic markings, ghostly impressions and a path to trace our way back into time. I am drawn to this collision course with destiny; where intuition mingles with circumstance, where life is portrayed in a state of transition and a hidden world is ultimately illuminated.”