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New York City's border crossings are a work in progress. They are in a state of constant flux being replanned, relandscaped and remapped. For most commuters, these undefined neighborhoods are mere traffic puzzles to be solved by finding the most efficient means of passing by. My phototgraphs are attempts to pause at these crossings and consider what defines these areas, what role they play in our journey and what happens when we stand in the threshold for a moment and contemplate where we are.

Project: The Public Park

The town or state park is a public space where families go to be alone with each other. It is often a place of relief for those who don't have their own backyards and for those who seek a simpler setting that allows them to focus on one another. In many respects the park is a public backyard.

I started photographing parks as a way to gain entrée to the way families spend time together. I found that people were more comfortable being approached in a public space rather than having a stranger in their home. After spending about an hour with them, the family would begin to act without too much concern for my camera or me. I witnessed again and again a kind of pre-corporate desire for the elders to demonstrate some kind of survival skill or feat of strength to their children or younger siblings. Whether it was folding a tent, hitting a baseball or baiting a hook, there was a return to passing down skills from parent to child as if this would be how the children would survive when they struck out on their own.

Project: Adoption

This work is in its early stages. Most of the photographs involve my sister Alice's children and their friends. My sisters and I were all adopted at an early age and we all come from different ethnic backgrounds. Alice's children were also adopted at an early age. Because of this I do not believe we were culturally assimilated, but in fact, culturally adopted.

Project: Bethlehem

In the late 1980's I went on a student exchange program to Israel. While there I spent the majority of my time photographing in Bethlehem. The 1st Intifada was in full swing at the time and I photographed both demonstrations and inside Palestinian's homes.