A Study in Portraiture

In this ongoing series of photographic portraits, I explore the relationship between identity and performance. Each photograph is the result of a specific encounter between the subject and myself, as photographer. Each session is structured by an elaborate and evolving range of exotic costumes and props which both expound and parody the experience of "otherness" as it has been elaborated through history, especially the history of photography. The photograph itself remains a shifting, uncertain meeting-ground: some aspects of the image are imposed by the sitter, others are supplied by myself, as artist. In this evolving exploration of community and subculture I depart from my own tribe of artists, curators, and creatives by expanding my collective to continuously show a cross section of society; from musicians, chefs, carpenters, and even all the way to the Republican Party. I intend to exemplify the spirit of each group. Every Act is organically adapted both to the host city and each participant, Acts have occurred in Los Angeles (Act I), London (Act II), New York (Volta), Louisville, Kentucky and Portland, Oregon.