Following Huck Finn

Maria Solis

The Signal

There aren’t many people who can say they have journeyed up the Mississippi River, much less traveled it with a map that was created 125 years ago. Logan Sebastian Beck, a Houstonian, visual arts major at Rice University and photographer whose work consists primarily of unyielding documentation, can lay claim to this endeavor along with his self-proclaimed copilot, singer and songwriter Walker Lukens.

Following Huck Finn is a diptych photography exhibition at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston, of a long-distance bicycle tour and road trip following the trail of Mark Twain’s book “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” up the Mississippi River to its ending destination of Hannibal, Mo., Mark Twain’s hometown. This is an idea that Beck and Lukens had in the making for a long time.

“There was also this desire to see a part of our country that culturally and geographically is close to Texas but was mysterious and unknown to us,” Lukens said.

After proper planning and finding some time in their tight schedules, the seed that had been planted began to sprout and grow. Beck and Lukens decided to keep the bicycle aspect of their trip even after Lukens had a fall a few weeks prior and would have to bike in a sling.

“I like the slowness; I really like seeing the changes in the landscape and the people, and on the bicycle, that’s even more intense!” Beck said.

“We love masochistic forms of travel and we were looking for a way to top previous road trips, bike trips, musical tours, backpacking adventures,” Lukens said. “Taking a bike trip makes stopping and exploring much simpler.”

Beck and Lukens started a three-week trip up the Mississippi River using the story of Huckleberry Finn as the thematic backbone. Beck also stated that by using this iconic American novel it allowed for several figures to materialize in what he called “the second Holy Trinity of the South: Mark Twain, Elvis and Jesus Christ.”

Though Beck and Lukens didn’t run into any characters similar to who Huck and Jim did in the novel, they did run into the realness of our world today.

“While we were in Grand Isle, New Orleans, I saw the aftermath of the BP spill and the booms that were soaking up the oil on the beaches,” Beck said “I think New Orleans is an amazing city, but we ran into some really wild things. There were people bathing in the Mississippi and that’s unheard of- people don’t swim in the Mississippi!”

The swimmers were protesting the BP spill by swimming in dirty water while wearing white clothing. Beck captured this event through a photograph that is now a part of his exhibit.

Like any trip, this journey cost money. Kickstarter is a website Beck and Lukens used to raise funds for their exciting expedition through a method that Beck referred to as “Crowed Funding.” The website allows you to find backers, people who are backing up your idea or project by donating funds. The original goal was to raise $800; however their goal was surpassed with an ending total of $1,080.

The Kickstarter financial supporters received souvenirs of the project from Beck and Lukens dependent on the amount of their pledge. For example, if a person pledged $15, that person would receive three handmade postcards that were mailed to them from different locations along the trail, plus a custom- mix audio tape of road trip music from the expedition.

Pledging a little bit more would earn, “a framed print and Walker would write you a song” Beck said.

Beck had submitted a proposal to the Lawndale Art Center prior to the adventure. Dennis Nance, director of exhibitions and programming, explained that taking Beck three months to prepare for his exhibit was really quick compared to other artist who plan for months. The Exhibit opened Aug. 20 and ran through Sept. 25. Beck mentioned the possibility of moving his exhibit to New York, but at the moment he is undecided.

For their next project Beck and Lukens are thinking of doing a walking tour of the state.

“What’s slower than bicycling? Walking,” Beck said.

“Logan’s project is really interesting in that it’s taking through photography the experience of a road trip, and it has a very specific reference point of the story of Huck Finn.” Nance said. “I think it’s a great project and I think the way that he presented it in the end with the pairing of two images adds another level to it rather than being just one image. The combination is nice.”

Nance isn’t the only one impressed with Beck’s exhibit. “I think in terms of goal oriented, he is heading in the right direction,” said Patrick Nguyen, a medical student from the University of Texas-Houston and a part-time artist, who was viewing Following Huck Finn “I think he has what my friend would call moments of brilliance.”

The Lawndale Art Center is located at 4912 Main St., Houston, TX, 77002 and can be contacted by phone at 713-528-5858 or online at www.lawndaleartcenter.org.

Logan Beck and Walker Lukens have a blog that features more photos from their trip located at www.followinghuckfinn.com.