Bring your own background

2020 was the year of covid-19, a year when gathering with your community was presented as risk rather than reward. So many of our safe spaces have become obsolete due to an invisible, but very real threat. The name BYOB (Bring Your Own Background) is a play at what used to be common ask, but is now rarely seen. In this series I ask subjects to bring nothing but themselves. Myself and the subjects collaborate on backgrounds that would best represent their personality and essence. The patterns of the backgrounds convey familiarity and consistency in a time where the unexpected happens every day, the vibrant colors act as a statement of the unshaken hope and vivaciousness of my community in the face of adversity. BYOB was a way for me to continue to connect intimately with my community, even if it is just one subject at a time.