The series When We Are is a visual study of women and men portrayed at the very instant of waking up. They were taken in one of the most private settings, the bedroom, and one of the most intimate moments in time, the late night or early morning. Entering this very personal space and state of heightened vulnerability for the participants to create these images, provided an extraordinary experience for me.
Facing the eye of the camera, the awakened sleepers are caught in a pivotal juncture, on the borderline between two states of consciousness. They are met in an unguarded moment, shifting the focus from who they are to when they are. Allowing a comparative study of their 80 faces enables us to detect commonalities regardless of age, gender, race or social status.
This particular moment in time marks a threshold for us. It is the moment of transition from sleep and being unconscious to being wakeful and being conscious.