WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, 2016

While living in Manhattan for two years, I observed people sharing the busiest public spaces in New York City: the subway trains. From an ethnology point of view, I compared and analyzed the characteristics of different individuals and the relationships between them.

The photographs for We Are All in This Together were taken between 2015 and 2016 without the subjects’ knowledge, in order to achieve the desired spontaneity. I used the camera on my mobile phone to blend more seamlessly into the environment. I focused on the lower part of the bodies, to direct viewers’ attention to body language and other physical details, revealing a glimpse of each subject's personality. Observing the private moments of individuals in the shared public space of the subway led me to appreciate how challenging and complex it can be for members of a diverse population to marry their private and public persona.

After experiencing the catastrophic COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, I look back to this series with different eyes. I was perplexed to see an empty Manhattan trying to survive and amazed by how the New Yorkers were able to social distance in a dense city where one constantly navigates the thin line that divides what is public and what is private.