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There is a voyeuristic aspect in depicting the lives of women in public--and private--places. It's part of the fascination with endless HBO specials, some of them worthwhile. Photography itself is an act of voyeurism. It seems impossible to do otherwise. But we can try. This project is not about sexuality; it's about people who survive by exchanging sex. It's about their lives. In September 2005, I began to speak with women working on the street. The first time I saw one talking with detectives on North Avenue in Chicago, and pulled my car over to see. They left and she walked to my car and asked for a cigarette. I asked her to let me take photographs. I haven't seen her since. In the next few months with my partner, France, we spoke with another dozen women, some of whom agreed to photographs and some that did not. All of them had stories to tell, and we soon learned to record them. We accompanied one to a detox treatment center, and another to see a stage musical, and another to court. We gave them bags of food. Some were arrested. They disappeared, and occasionally reappeared. Each of them are fleeting apparitions, and every meeting seemed like it would be the last. The mere suggestion of making an appointment for another day is met with incredulous stares, as if the idea itself is absurd. There is no permanence and little certainty in their lives, except the challenge of making enough money for a day, and staying away from the police and other threats. Drugs are their primary solace.
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From a perspective of security and certainty, it's all too easy to dismiss these lives as worthless, and blameworthy. It's much more difficult to imagine: what would I do in their place? Faced with a decision to sell the only possession you truly own, what would you do? It's not that other decisions can't be made--they can. The point is that there are times when the option to sell your self seems better, more logical, than the remaining options. We decided to continue over time to document these women. Their photographs. Their recorded words. We hope to see some of them progress to a better place. We don't expect that to happen easily or soon. Change will require great motivation and discipline on their part. It will also be determined by the options available to them. The project consists of three elements:
1. Document the women through
photographs and audio interviews, for inclusion in web, media, print and/or book
format;
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