"Untouchable"

The "Untouchable" project started with a conversation with a close friend about what his life has been like before and after being diagnosed HIV positive. In our conversations it was clear I couldn’t see the world the way he does. The way people see him, the stigma of HIV and what daily life is like living with an unseen villain always battling inside. With the help of my friend I created the “Untouchable” project. A project of understanding that will evolve and grow until HIV is no longer a health and political issue. Like the rest of my camera/photo projects over the last 24 years, it starts with building a camera created for, and from the subject it will connect with and photograph. The "Untouchable" camera is made from aluminum, titanium, copper, stainless steel, and has three clear cylinders that contain HIV+ blood that was donated by my friend. The blood circulates through the camera with the help of a pump made from Rare Earth Magnets, and then flows between two sheets of Acrylic that are five thousands of an inch apart, creating a blood red filter in front of the aperture. The "Untouchable" project was created to connect with, collaborate with and learn from people living with HIV and AIDS. So far the "Untouchable" project has photographed over 80 HIV+ men, woman, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers and children from San Francisco to Michigan, resulting in vulnerable and powerful blood red portraits toned by the life altering blood that flows within them.