Where is the line between realism and a twist of imagination I’d like to think that realism inspires imagination. Seeing the potential in places, people, seeing how things work and letting your mind wander. Seeing a building and wondering what happens in that building, or seeing a person walk down the street and thinking about what they’re thinking, or doing, or going. That is the stuff that inspires me to think about things more.
Do you feel like you’re exploring history through the urban pieces No. Not history, but I’d like to think that I choose the situations and variables that are common to people regardless of the time period.
How much is the grittiness of East Coast urban life seared into you consciousness. Can you see yourself having had the same feel for city life if you’d grown up in say – California
Where you are raised is so much a part of your personality that you can’t figure out what life would be like if you were raised somewhere else. I like the east coast, the grit, the character, the speed, the aesthetics so that’s just part of me. I would be different if I was born in LA but who knows how in the hell that would be. Maybe I’d be more laid back, I don’t know. For me the east coast has history and layers of time that are absent from the west coast of the US. I like the dirt. I like the history and the traditions.
How much do cities have their own individual dynamics and identity They have tons. I’ve been to places where you feel like the city has more life than the people do.
Where does micro meet macro both in cities and in your work Depends. I’d like to think that there is always