James Benning is an artist with the ability to transform the way we look at film – and the world around us. In his latest project he returns to some degree to a film he made with Bette Gordon in 1975. Back then their tour of the United States was accompanied by radio hits; now these States of his are a bit quieter. We are shown shots of attractive natural surroundings, but also images of the decay of infrastructure and thus of the decline of living standards as well. How is the temperament of the individual states etched into the shots? What characteristics do we associate with them? Can Florida be depicted without kitschy colours? And does it make sense to break them up in this way if we’re talking about united states?