A body of so many histories and so many origins covered by a single American skin. The people, the landscape: a surface upon which our eyes play curious, lustful, tragic, and loving.

Photographer Diana Scheunemann undertook a road trip clockwise around the USA, starting and ending in New York City. To film, photograph and explore the multiple facets of the American identity was the aim of the trip. The people that she met en route have become part of the project “Love American Skin”, presented in a book, and the accompanying feature length documentary.

When asked about her motivation behind the project she explains: "I was curious. New York City, Los Angeles or Miami, do not represent this country as a whole. I have heard so many stories: the people in the mountains dislike 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 PJ Norman, our dog Nico 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). Halfway into the trip my boyfriend became my husband. Over 60 days we filmed and photographed the people we encountered. 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."