Portraits of Intimacy

Used: two tripods, one camera, 3 lights, acrylic glass 50×70, white and black cardboard paper 70×100, two chairs, variable contents of bags

I positioned myself in the entryway f the university and asked people kindly to hand me their bags, as I would like to get to know them soley through the contents of the bag. The person could then sit down on the chair while i took an average of 5-10 minutes to empty their bag out and photograph it.

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What does humanity mean? We can find humanity in little things. Signs of wear in public spaces, people sharing snacks with strangers and little intimacies. The handbag, too, is incredibly intimate and human. An item people carry around with them every outing, in which useful things, useless things and important things are kept all at once. Not two handbags are the same, where some people keep their medication others keep their 7 lipsticks. Some just have trash. Emptying them out gives a view into every persons life, their personality and how they are. The contents tell a story.