the mask of penance

i am currently starting a new black and whtie series on the homeless of san francisco. this could be deemed the first experiment of that concept.. i want to convey the humanism that still exists in these people.. through the eyes of the world this humanity is lost when someone finds themselves in the grand chaos of life.. day after day.. without hope.

while sitting on a bus in san francisco one afternoon, headed to the Loveparade music festival i couldnt help but overhear the interaction between our masked associate and his inquirer.

as usual the clown decorated his subjects with baloons and jokes, but it was so interesting to me how this clown was speaking to the child. he entered the brain of the child and made him feel as if his thoughts were valid. i remember being a child, and the sheer conviction that would overcome me is something i havent felt in a while.

i feel there is also a very deep exchange between these two. the man, a wanderer of the streets looking only to solicit a smile, was looking so deep inside himself, with the help of the child.. while he in turn offered the child a parallel ground where respect and understanding were hand in hand.

it was one of those days.