“Take Your Seat on Route 66,” an international photography and storytelling project created in collaboration with the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, has been designated an Official Route 66 Centennial Project by the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission.
The project will bring the story of Route 66 to a global audience through a major digital photographic installation at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest and busiest airport.
The installation is expected to reach millions of travelers through six large-format 4K digital screens in Terminal 1.
“Route 66 has always been about more than the road itself — it is about the people, communities, landscapes and stories encountered along the way,” said Bill Thomas, chairman of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership and commissioner for the Route 66 Centennial Commission.
“’Take Your Seat on Route 66′ offers a remarkable opportunity to introduce those stories to an international audience at a time when the world is celebrating 100 years of the Mother Road. This project captures the spirit of the centennial by looking not only at Route 66’s remarkable past, but at its enduring relevance and future.”
Created by Canadian father-and-son photography team Randy and Spencer VanDerStarren, “Take Your Seat” uses a distinctive director’s chair as a visual invitation for audiences to imagine themselves experiencing destinations around the world.
Randy said their work has been internationally recognized and featured in airports, galleries, embassies and exhibitions, with previous clients including Destination Canada, Los Angeles Tourism, Turkish Airlines and Costa Rica Tourism.
“After 46 countries and over 100 expeditions, ‘Take Your Seat’s’ mission of human connection now has the privilege of capturing the natural wonders, people and architecture of an iconic road 100 years in the making,” he said.
For “Take Your Seat on Route 66,” the pair plan a 10-day journey from Illinois to California, documenting architecture, landscapes and the people who bring the Mother Road to life.
Spencer said the project will encompass all eight Route 66 states, with photography captured using 102-megapixel, medium-format cameras.
“Our director’s chair provides a unique perspective that invites audiences to imagine themselves taking their seat behind the wheel, at a roadside diner, or sitting back enjoying a desert sunset,” he said. “They’ll see Route 66 in a new light and hopefully discover a little bit about themselves along the way.”
The resulting images will be displayed in the Toronto Pearson installation, with location identifiers, English and French captions and QR codes directing travelers to a dedicated website featuring the photographs, project partners and behind-the-scenes content.
The installation is being developed as a digital art exhibition, allowing Route 66 to be presented to travelers in an immersive and compelling format.
The Toronto Pearson installation is planned for November 2026. For more information, go here.
(A “Take Your Seat” installation at Terminal 1 of Toronto Pearson International Airport)