Chris Mason

Camera (image of artist coming soon)

“Being alone in a crowd without the company of newspapers or books, laptops or smartphones or friends. There’s something to be said for trying this out.

“It teaches you intimacy, connection, and vulnerability – particularly in an era of social networking. Many people are unnerved by this concept; feeling judged and self-conscious. “But I found this to be an interesting challenge to my underlying fears of being alone and judged. A friend suggested that I visit some of the neighborhoods alone…

 

“It wasn’t a punishment to spend time alone. It became an opportunity – to exist totally free of anyone else’s expectations. To do this, I place myself for the better part of a day in a particular Cleveland neighborhood – disregarding the spectacular and instead noting everything that came into my field of vision. My list – a house, a dog, a new building, a set of random chairs – evolved into the poetry of the everyday.

“When I shoot, I’m driven by my interests, my physical reactions, my memories, and all kinds of other elements. It’s the people who come to see my work that give it any kind of meaning. I continue to offer them what I’ve captured with my mind and body. I want to see everything and capture everything… of course, in reality, that’s impossible, but that’s my intention. And I don’t walk around with a certain concept; choosing what to shoot and what not to. I don’t think; I just get to work. Basically I want to shoot everyday, and I actually do, all the time. Even when I’m going to Walmart, I take a camera; it’s my life now. As long as I’m alive,I want to shoot and capture as many moments as I can. That’s my practice now.”