PhotographerGail Albert Halabanknows how to indulge a guilty pleasure.
ThoughOut My Windowis certainly voyeuristic on the surface, its far from it in practice.
At first, it almost feels invasive to encounter these photographs.
Who are these people, and why have we been invited to witness their daily routines?
Its this curiosity, however, that Albert Halaban hopes to evoke.
In turn, a sense of connection is achieved.
Selections fromOut My Windoware currently being showcased atGalerie XIIin Los Angeles.
Read on for My Modern Mets exclusive interview with the photographer.
What originally drew you to photography as your preferred medium?
Ive loved photography all my life!
My mom helped me make a pinhole camera for my first grade science fair.
I got first place!
Ive always loved it.
What intrigues you about urban environments, windows, and apartments as photographic subjects?
People often say the city is lonely because you dont know your neighbors.
I actually feel the opposite.
If you look into a neighbors window, you always have a sense of community.
How do you decide which apartment buildings to feature within your photographs?
The way I decide which buildings to include in my pictures varies a bit.
Together, we then go meet the neighbors and ask permission.
Thats absolutely my favorite way to decide where to shoot.
I also pick buildings where I love the architect or the building for some other reason.
The process of taking my pictures is a little bit labor-intensive.
First, I identify which building Im going to shoot from.
Then, we have to figure out how to meet the neighbors and ask permission.
That can be crazy in cities where people are very busy like New York, Paris, or Rome.
How have your photographs altered your perception of neighbors and urban relationships?
What I realize about being a neighbor is we all yearn for connection.
Nothing is more fascinating than imagining the life across the way.
In a world filled with loneliness, the window can be a salve.
The contrast between exterior architecture and interior apartments is a core theme within your work.
What compels you about it?
I feel like the architecture sets the stage for the drama in our lives.
How have these urban photographs evolved throughout your career?
My work has gotten much more operatic in scale.
I photograph many neighbors simultaneously.
It has also gotten broader in locations, since I photograph all over the world.
Recently, I have begun to collect audio stories of what people imagine about their neighbors.
What do you hope people will take away from your art?
I hope in this time where we seem quite divided my work can connect people.
Gail Albert Halaban:Website|Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Gail Albert Halaban.
