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I'm not sure when and why I started to photograph people sleeping in public. Probably for the fun of it. I myself have always been a brilliant public sleeper. When I was younger, right after I took my seat in a bus or in a train, I would fall asleep quite quickly. Once in Denmark I fell asleep on the train. Then I had to get off and take the next train in the opposite direction.
In a certain way I have always thought that it takes a certain courage to fell asleep in public. You simply let go and float into a state where you are vulnerable due to the fact that while sleeping publicly you take down your parades.
Well, perhaps it's not a question of courage. It's simply that when the life's harshness overpowers you, you simply have to let go.
The first photos in this gallery are quite old, and taken, as already said, mostly for fun. Then, over the years my gallery of "sleepy photos" started to grow, and at a certain point I started to be more conscious about people sleeping in public, as I moved around.
Perhaps, someone might say "Hey, you have been taking photos of poor people sleeping in the streets, because they have now where else to go. That's unethical". Well, that's correct, in a certain way. I'm aware of that. So perhaps in that respect this gallery can also be seen to raise some awareness about the fact that many people - in 2018 - are still living and sleeping on the streets.
That's the world of today. As regards Italy, the country still finds itself in a deep crises, which means that the rich are getting richer and the poor are more exposed to poverty. That's the way it is, unfortunately.
Statistics say that in Rome alone, where most of these photos have been taken, the homeless people are more than 7,000!
The photos are been shot in New York, Italy (mostly Rome), Morocco and Germany.
The cameras used are Nikon and mostly Fuji.
(Photo from Marrakech, Morocco)