“The inspiration for this book came to me one afternoon as I watched my son, Hudson, playing with his toy bus. I was trying to keep pace with his three-year-old mind as he got deeper and deeper into a fantasy involving nothing more than a yellow plastic box and armless figurines. At least that’s what I saw. He saw frantic commuters rushing to catch the 77 local bus to Australia. He jumped in place, mouth open and slapping his knees, joyously reacting to a world I couldn’t see, but one powerfully present for him.
What happens to this enthusiasm, this ability to be wholly present in the moment? Why are these pure moments of passion so often replaced with cynicism, boredom, and indifference? As I played with my son, I thought about creating photographs that would show the world as if through his eyes. The people in the images would be alive and in the moment, celebrating all aspects and emotions of everyday life.
Shortly after playing “bus”, I attended an extraordinary dance performance, and I knew I had found my collaborators. Dancers are storytellers. They’re trained to capture passion with their bodies. The often create a fantasy world or offer us a deeper look into familiar settings. They bring to life what we feel but what most of us, lacking their artistry and athleticism, are unable to express physically”. – Jordan Matter
What happens to this enthusiasm, this ability to be wholly present in the moment? Why are these pure moments of passion so often replaced with cynicism, boredom, and indifference? As I played with my son, I thought about creating photographs that would show the world as if through his eyes. The people in the images would be alive and in the moment, celebrating all aspects and emotions of everyday life.
Shortly after playing “bus”, I attended an extraordinary dance performance, and I knew I had found my collaborators. Dancers are storytellers. They’re trained to capture passion with their bodies. The often create a fantasy world or offer us a deeper look into familiar settings. They bring to life what we feel but what most of us, lacking their artistry and athleticism, are unable to express physically”. – Jordan Matter
“Dancers Among Us”: Seattle – Angelica Generosa. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Palisades Mall, NY – Aisha Mitchell. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Seattle – Claire Conaty. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Justine Humenansky – Chicago. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: NYC – Jennifer Jones as Marilyn Monroe. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Washington, DC – Sun Chong, with his mother. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Philadelphia – Evgeniya Chernukhina. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Half Moon Bay, CA – Brendan Barthel. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Macys, NYC – Annmaria Mazzini. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Joe Coffee, NYC – Kile Hotchkiss. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Subway, NYC – Lisa Cole. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Princeton University – Trisha Wolf. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Stanford University, CA – Ryan Smith and Wendy Rein. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Dunkin Donuts – Xiomara Forman. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Christmas in Rockefeller Center – Vanessa Valecillos and Nicholas Villeneuve. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Las Vegas – Joseph Rivera and Shelia Burford. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Atlanta – Tomas Panto. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Aspen – Katie Dehler and Samantha Campanile. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Central Park – John Heginbotham. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Chicago – Angela Dice and Demetrius McClendon. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Atlanta –Abby McDowell. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Chicago – Erin Rye. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Columbus Circle, NYC – Michelle Fleet. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Ft Tryon Park, NYC – Adrienne Hayes. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Harlem – Eran Bugge. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Dover, MA – Marc Kranz. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Chicago – Kara Lozanovski. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Towson, MD – Rachel Bell. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Harlem – Michael McBride. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Miami at Fontainebleau – Annie-Gaddis. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Blue Bar, MIami – Sarah Braverman. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: NY Public Library – Michelle Fleet. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Montreal – Alyssa Desamais. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Philadelphia – Miles Yeung. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Museum of Modern Art – Selina Chau. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: San Francisco – Jamielyn Duggan. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: San Francisco – Dudley Flores. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Times Square – Jeffrey-Smith. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Sarasota, FL – Danielle Brown. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: San Francisco – Sharon Gallagher. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Time Warner Center, NYC – Marielis Garcia. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Washington Heights, NYC – Tenealle Farragher. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: NYC Subway – Allison Jones. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: 5th Avenue, NYC – Michael McBride and Ellenore Scott. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Madison Avenue – Arianna Bickle. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: New Rochelle, NY – Dayla Perkins. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Broadway – MIkey Cusumano. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Skinnydipping in Chicago – Marissa Horton. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Stone Street, NYC – Michelle Joy. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: VIP Heliport, NYC – Marcella Guarino. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Wellesley College, MA – Louise Layman. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Astoria, NY – Matt Oaks. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Luke McCollum and Jordy Perry. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
“Dancers Among Us”: Santa Monica, CA – Jill Wilson and Jacob Jonas. (Photo by Jordan Matter)
12 Nov 2012 11:17:00,
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