San Francisco, August 8th 2017




Dear Living Room Owner,

My name is Jana. I’m a German artist based in Berlin and San Francisco. For the last year I have been working on a photography project in the San Francisco Bay Area. This work deals with San Francisco, a city full of contrasts — so much wealth against a backdrop of very visible poverty and homelessness, people living in makeshift structures and tents.

As part of this project I am searching for nice living rooms that I can make use of for around three to five hours.

Through detailed research and study of different architectural methods and materials of temporary street shelters, and by listening to the stories of the homeless people who live in them, I will reconstruct copies of these shelters in living rooms of San Franciscans, creating a home within a home. I will take color photographs of these reconstructions, separated from their original locations and remade in a foreign environment.

I understand that this might be a lot to ask, but realizing my project depends on the openness and cooperation of people who have secure homes and who allow me to access their private surroundings.

The individual living rooms and shelters are depicted as representations. I will work with great sensitivity and respect throughout the entire process. I appreciate your participation and any help you might have to offer. If you have any questions or comments about participating in my project, you can contact me via email: hello@jana-sophia.com or cell phone: 415-319-2579. I will be working on this project until July 2018.

I look forward to hearing back from you.


Sincerely,


Jana Sophia Nolle