Leaving something behind, making a mark: these are things that owe much of their significance to the concept of time.

It took six months to remove the paint from my 1994 Nissan Sentra Limited Edition. Working in sections, I reduced each piece to bare metal with a hand-held electric sander before painting it gray. As I sanded the car, the layers of paint were reduced to dust. I saved as much of it as possible.

When the car was finished, I drove it 500 miles to Smyrna, Tennessee, straight to the factory it came from. When I got back I combined the paint dust with oil to create ink, which I used to make a commemorative edition of prints.

The car continues to run smoothly; in August I drove it to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. "Speed Trials" (in progress) is a collection of short films starring the car. "Writing Around" (in progress) is a series of written works about the trip.

Eric Baskauskas, 2010

Footage from "Speed Trials," an upcoming short film collection.