I am interested in creating an index of conversations between people,by highlighting spontaneous encounters. In “Conversations Indicative of American Culture,” quotes rely heavily on chance interactions in my daily life. As stories unfold around me though instances such as overheard cell phone conversation and interactions with strangers, I take those average moments to evaluate and dissect information. Their unawareness allows me to capture these moments that reveal culture by filtering text and staging images.

The concept was also the basis for my second series, “Conversations Indicative of Rwandese Culture”. On a recent trip to Rwanda I continued to explore fragments of people’s conversations though chance encounters while I obtained a glimpse into a person’s thoughts and hopes to depict a different reality than what is present in Western media.

Cultural history and identity are frequently attached to a sense of place; this can have a strong influence over the stories of our lives. I apply culture and social landscapes to illustrate the abstract conversations that evoke scenery of an imagined space. As I explore culture and identity, to understand people and interconnections, there is an underling continuum that links all of our cultures if only we truly examine our framework.