Introduction
These are photographs of real people and the animals, objects, and places that belong to them. I am interested in the similarities between life forms and the likenesses of our basic drives and behaviors. To me, the indefinable difference between humans and animals is the mystery of animal perception that humans are only able to access through imagination and theory. When we see another living creature, we can never truly know how they perceive us or their environment. Evolution has formed an infinite variety of species all ranging in different types of intelligences, instincts, physical capabilities, and defense mechanisms. Humans continually use these differences in ability to their own devices through domestication or a process of taming. In my work, I continually wondered how adaptable the human home is for other species, whether that species lives in its own bedroom or in a cage in the backyard. The animals in these pictures often occupy the home space as fixtures much like the trinkets and framed pictures that display the animal lover’s identity. Some human identities are shaped by a familiar human-pet dynamic involving both affection and dominance, captivity and care. My photographs document this man-made symbiosis as it occurs in and around the American home.