Interview by Margaret Warburton

What gave you the idea to create portraits of people by making blueprints of objects in their homes?

I was working with projections and noticed the sharp shadows created by the projector light. I started to create shadows of the objects in my apt and photograph only the shadows. Each image was very poetic by itself, but I sensed they actually belonged together. Therefore, the collage in the floorplan of my subjects' homes.

What is the process you go through in order to create your blueprints?

I go to my subject's house and pick objects that I think will help me show the viewer who that person or family is, what they do, and how their home looks. Then, I create the shadow, photograph it, and work in post-production to create the collage within the floorplan of the home.

How well do you, personally, need to know someone in order to create a blueprint of their home?

I don't need to know them at all. The main idea of the Blueprint project is that our home is the reflection of ourselves. If I visit your home now, it will tell me more about you than you would think!

What do you think the blueprints say about the people they are depicting?

I believe they say that we are all the same, we have the same emotions, fears, dreams. You might argue that is because I'm basically shooting in NY, but I shot a family in Lombok, Indonesia and their Blueprint is just like any other Blueprint I shot in NY. It doesn't matter our background, religion or language; we are all one.

What do you feel when looking at your work as a whole? Does that feeling make you want to continue making blueprints of people’s homes?

I feel very intrigued by the final images. I haven't felt that they are repeating themselves so I'll definitely keep creating Blueprints for a long time. To me, they are not portraits of homes, they are portraits of people, even though they don't show their face or likeliness.

WCW QUESTIONNAIRE

Describe your creative process in one word.

Hidden.

If you could teach a one, one-hour class on anything, what would it be?

I think I can elaborate a bit on how changes are good and that we should be open to them because I quit a long and established career to dedicate myself entirely to art.

What is the last book you read or film you saw that inspired you?

I’m a slow reader, I don’t remember which was the last book I finished and inspired me, but the ones I’m still reading and loving are The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle and A Disciplina do Amor, by Lygia Fagundes Telles.

What is the most played song in your music library?

I have been listening to a Brazilian singer called Marisa Monte – Nu com a Minha Musica (or Naked with my Song).

How do you take your coffee?

With home-made cashew milk and maple syrup.