image train...

are we being invaded??

the city is riddled with the sounds of a war zone...

i wake up everyday to the sounds of bombs... machine guns blazing.... the house shaking ... my heart palpitating...
all day long....
and all hours of the night....
it's all to close to memories of my childhood in Iran...

but in 1988 it was war.....
in 2006.... its the WORLD CUP!!...
and i'm in Brasil!!!.....
a country which treats this every four year event as a national holiday...
everywhere from banks... malls... schools... and grocery stores shutting down during game times....
i have never experienced this frenzy over "futebol"....
but i definitely expected it....
everyone in the patriotic attire, which is sold at every street corner/gas station/car trunk (along side a nice selection of firecracker paraphanelia)....

all chatting about the cup results... but not just Brasil... this country is passionate about the sport as a whole... not just their team... almost everyone is informed and aware of what is going on... even the house wives cleaning and cooking are aware when a goal is made... although it is pretty hard to not notice....

WOW...
when Brasil pounds that ball through the net....... screams... howls.... firecrackers... bombs... all hell breaks loose... and everyone... no matter where you are is celebrating together.. everyone is glued to a TV... whether they're in their own homes... at a friends house.... at the bar down the street.. or looking through a store front window... they are one... rooting for their team... BRASIL!!!..... and boy do they know how to cheer...

it's "fourth of July" everyday here.... which honestly has just made it more difficult to distinguish the gun shots from the firecrackers... a bit of "crying wolf" going on... and really a great opportunity to do mass bombings and shootings without anyone noticing.... people who are accustomed to these intense noises don't even flinch... which is very interesting... definitely different from the regulated twice a year firecracker experiences i've had in the states...

.. fear ..

in the middle of poverty, hunger, desperation, and loneliness….

it's been quite a struggle capturing it…

i am consumed by a nervous and constant fear of taking my equipment out in public…

taking pictures has been a nightmare of insecurity and paranoia..

**

I am currently working on a camera hiding device...

it will eventually help me hit the streets and film the inhabitants

without sticking a camera in the their face…

being an obvious target to sketchy folks standing by…

always on the look out for a mark… a victim…

I have worked very hard not to be one of them…

**

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but when is the risk needed?... when do I need to just let go?…