First idea: institutionalised photography
Photo 1
Staring at the envelopes
This photo shows all the envelopes I have collected from letters sent by friends and family neatly glued to a wall. I am in front of them observing them. The envelopes represent the people I left in Montreal. The relation one has with people changes when they are physically far from each other. Instead of taking part in their lives, living with them, seeing them, doing activities with them, you are forced to become much more passive. When you are away, you become more passive, observing people’s lives rather them being an integral part in them. You observe their lives through what they tell you in their letters, e-mails or phone calls. Likewise in this picture, I will be observing the envelopes, as if I was observing my friend’s lives, rather than be a part of the actual content of the letters.