Project 3 ideas

Project Idea 1:
The original idea that I created came from a conversation with a friend of mine. Sherif is a 30-something man who immigrated to the United States nine years ago. The last time I talked to him, he told me about how he wanted to better his English speaking abilities, and how he has no time to do that because of his hectic work schedule. “This is my home,” said Sherif, as he turned and presented the gas station, notably his little heated box. During the night, when most people are sleeping, Sherif works the night shift at a gas station, and works approximately 60 hours a week. Thus, the concept of work as home was developed, and the project idea of documenting this man’s home was developed.
The project for work as home would be in a style that doesn’t fall in line with place or person, but more as a place where one mentally lives. The pictures would include portraits and landscapes, as well as more abstract uses of light and movement. As the hours for photographing would fall between dusk and dawn, possibilities involving the passing of time are available. In addition, establishing shots from the other side of the highway, or even from the middle of the highway are a possibility. One of the positive assets of this project is availability, because, excluding the rare visit from someone getting gas or Dunkin Donuts (where Sherif formerly worked the 12 hour night shift 5 days a week), it would only be Sherif and me at this location.

Project Idea 2:
The second project idea is a more involved one. Instead of photographing a metaphorical home, this would be a literal home. However, this is not a home that one inhabits. This is “The Home I Do Not Have”, which is a humorous look into places (mainly IKEA) for the interior furnishings that my house will have when I buy one later in life. The final project, tentatively, will be a sort of Barbie dollhouse that will incorporate mixed media, focusing mainly on my photography, IKEA’s advertising photography, and potentially the use of a preexisting dollhouse to “build” my house. Otherwise, it would be presented as if it was my house, without the usage of a dollhouse.
Potential ideas that have crossed my mind for this project have been often very different, but I feel that some of them have valuable potential. Perhaps I could take pictures of myself at all stages of a house; at the IKEA store, I can be sleeping on a bed, cooking in a kitchen, using the bathroom, etc., and then use those pictures over pictures of my current home to show the desired result. In addition, the concept of using all of these pictures as one, thus showing more than one of myself in any given room, is definitely an idea I will use if I go through with this project.

mikey smith