The project “15 minutes of unconsciousness”, presented in the portraits of people on the Staten Island Ferry, describes those elusive moments of transition that we all need.
We all play a different role every given day, be it the role of a woman or a man, a banker or a construction worker, a student or a mentor, a wife or a husband.
And in this infinite quotidian existence one forgets who they really are, why do they really exist, and what they are doing here.
I show the commuters of the Staten Island Ferry, mainly focusing on the trip back home from their jobs in Manhattan to Staten Island.
After a laborious day in Manhattan, a hectic and dynamic place where people are always on the go with complete focus on their careers taking on the role of emotionless and heartless robots,
the commuters take the ferry home and have those 15 minutes to transform back into the real selves.
The simple people who have dreams and hopes, with their sweet and sad memories.Some of them fall asleep on the ferry, some meditate, and others go deep into themselves and daydream.
Almost everyone keeps to themselves in their lonely state and no one is talking.
It is a rare moment when they have 15 minutes to be alone; ironically, this luxury is afforded to them on a crowded rush hour ferry. They have a simple unspoken understanding amongst themselves.
And everyone will respect this silent vow and will not disturb you.I wanted to show the faces of these people with their vulnerability on display and their guards down, people who somehow feel more relaxed being surrounded by strangers than surrounded by people they know.
Arriving time after time on the pier and the old ferry that brings no aesthetic pleasure, I notice on each occasion that I dive into the kingdom of oblivion and I seek to be alone.
