Sunset Smokes

'Sunset Smokes' from my 'DINING ALONE In the Company of Solitude', series and first monograph (Daylight Books, 2022), is a visual exploration of being alone in public. I used peopled restaurant interiors as a metaphor to highlight the complexities of solitude and of being alone. The original scope of my series was timeless and universal, and spanned close to four decades. I staged my subjects after pairing them with restaurant locations, and asked them to act out how they felt when dining alone in public. During the COVID 19 Pandemic the outdoor dining restaurant spaces which were being built in the streets not only made cityscapes seem very bizaare but also emphasized the apparent sense of isolation that seemed to be a worldwide phenomenon. Restaurant patrons, were now separated by plastic, plexiglass, private tents and so on. In this work, I hope my point of view peeks through even if in subtle ways. My imagery and alludes to the inner strength and independence that lone diners often have. It takes courage to confront oneself during one's alone times, especially when in public. The existential aspect of Dining Alone has been awakened within me. If anything positive has arisen during these Covid times, it is our awareness to our shared human condition –our mortality and our susceptibility to the fragility of life.