plugged in, zoned out

People in the city work hard to avoid eye contact and interaction with strangers on a daily basis. We're surrounded by people yet do things to avoid them at all costs. If we saw and observed everything happening around us, it would become hard to function. It's nothing personal, it's an act of self preservation. In a city of 9.6 million people, things that happen within its urban landscape can lead to poorly regulated emotions. I, for one, feel empowered to be part of something bigger than myself in the city. Yet, because the world around me is so majestic, it swallows me in its greatness. These are the effects of crowding and noise: all of the things that come with living somewhere with millions of people. It's why we like to dissociate, because we are living on top of each other, trying to achieve our dreams in a concrete and competitive environment.

Plugging in and zoning out keeps us safe and sane. The idea of belonging is deeply ingrained in the human experience. We are social creatures, wired to seek connection and a sense of place. But when we examine the concept more closely, we realize that belonging is often a constructed narrative. Society tells us we need to "belong" to a particular place, group, or identity in order to be whole. Yet, in reality, our sense of belonging is less about finding a permanent home or stable identity, and more about the ephemeral nature of life itself.

As for me, the longer I lived in the massive, hyper-global city of London, I came to understand that our identities are not fixed. We wear different masks, adopt different personas, depending on the context in which we find ourselves. At one moment, I felt deeply connected to the community, at another, I felt isolated, disconnected and lonely in ways I had never experienced before. These fluctuations are part of the human condition. Our identities are not permanent, but evolving, shaped by our interactions with the spaces and people around us.

Ultimately, what we truly belong to is the process of change itself. Impermanence is the only constant in life. We belong to the fleeting nature of our existence, to the continuous evolution of our selves. This understanding can be freeing, as it invites us to embrace the unknown, to let go of the pressure to "belong" in any particular place or role, and instead to flow with the ebbs and flows of life as they move us forward.

The cityscape is a compelling metaphor for this fluidity. Urban environments, constantly shifting and changing, reflect the impermanence that defines both the physical world and our internal lives. The city is a space where people come together, but also where they constantly move in and out of different roles, phases, and experiences. It’s a place of transition, not permanence. And in this movement, we may feel a temporary sense of belonging — in a neighborhood, in a social circle, or even in a particular moment of time.

This body of work attempts to documents those fleeting feelings we encounter in a dynamic cityscape while reinforcing the idea that our sense of belonging is always subject to change, to the forces of time, circumstance and personal evolution. By thoughtfully capturing these moments, this series speaks of the fluid nature of our identities and the constant reinvention of our place in the city.