Connected Separate
By Dru Phillips
MARTA seems like such a lonely place. There is always a bunch of people down in the train station, and yet, no one really interacts with each other — understandably, because if you make the mistake of talking to the wrong individual, they might actually engage in interesting conversation. You might make a new, real-life friend, and we don’t want that.
There is always a sense of isolation in my street work. Even in a group of individuals, there is still the disconnect. I did not come up with this conclusion myself. Other people who view my work say it and notice it all the time, and I am starting to come up with a better understanding of our world through it.
I think we are becoming more and more separately connected. What I mean by that is we stay connected so much through social media and the news that when we are out of the matrix, we tend to not want to interact. It’s safer in the matrix, because if you don’t like or know an individual, you can block or delete them; whereas, in the real world you have to look them in the eye and deny them. Why would I go to the lounge or club when I can find love on Plenty of Fish, or Christian singles? Why would I go to the bar with the guys to watch the fight, when I can watch it with all 1,137 of my friends on Facebook? See how nice and simple the matrix is?
As I continue my street photography, I am going to consciously look for this disconnect, while still capturing the moment. Many people ask what I look for when I go on my journeys around town. I don’t have a real answer anymore. I used to say I was looking for the serendipitous moments, but I realized that the serendipitous moment cannot be sought out. Rather, it must be noticed in the split second before it happens, and in time for my brain to give the message to my hand to shoot.
So really, the answer is: I am not looking for anything. I just exist. And I just capture the things that would go unnoticed. I take time to elevate the everyday. I simply capture my/our time. So, if you begin to look at my work and realize moments of isolation between individuals, or if you see something that stands out, please point them out to me, because I can’t see them all, but I feed off of the outside viewer looking in.
