found: Intimacy... In Your Fridge

When I think of the word intimacy a flood of images rush to my head. A couple sharing a gentle kiss, two friends sharing their deepest darkest secrets late into the night, a hug, a touch, an exchange of words, a sparkling connection between two people.

For New York based photographer Stephanie de Rouge, it all started with a fascination for big cities and the people who live in them. Observing them in their element; how they work, interact, walk, and mourn. The inner workings of what makes people tick.

From there she started out with a series that documented various types of people in one of their most private spaces, the bedroom. Only to find out that "building walls don't talk". It lacked the intimacy she was so desperately yearning for. Until one day when she was shooting a client in their home, opened their refrigerator, and she realized that's where the answers were hiding.

In her words:

My approach was quite simple: make an appointment for a portrait shoot and once the shoot is over, and without my subject being aware of my project, ask them permission to complete the human portrait with a portrait of their refrigerator…. Oddly enough, for the first time in three years of shooting this project, I’ve been refused to access numerous fridges. As if the mayonnaise and the chicken leftovers found in a fridge could be more intimate than a bedroom.
From there, the next question quickly arose: Could the fridge be the mirror of the soul?

Since launching the In Your Fridge series, she's opened more than 45 fridges throughout New York and Paris and captured a different side of the subject's daily life. It's candid, honest, and provides a twist on the idea of portraits. From whole organics, frozen dinners, liquids-only, to dolls, clothes, and love notes.

She hopes to extend the adventure to another 19 megacities in the world, “to complete the map of a playful and poetic universe that murmurs endlessly the secrets of the citizens of the world.”

The full series can be found here on her website.

It just goes to show that a little out-of-the-box thinking can lead you to an entirely new discovery and show you things you've never begun to imagine. (Who knew?!) 

What's in your fridge? What do you think it says about you? (I think I'll go tidy mine now...)

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Prince Al's Diner

I can't even count how many times I've sat in this diner. It's one of those places that everyone in my hometown knows about and craves on a regular basis. I even remember my first time there, with my oldest brother and his friends grabbing a quick bite to eat after a rally in the park across the street. I remember feeling like I was apart of something bigger than myself.

Flash forward and I've had so many countless memories at this very place. Milkshakes with friends, meeting up with new friends for a burger, sharing poutines on dates. And yes, some memories may be fuzzier than others - try passing by 2am on a Saturday and you'll notice the line-up to get inside. It's funny how nostalgic we become to certain places. This one will forever be engrained as the place we all went to while growing up, before we became adults.

Naturally, Sebastian and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hit up our favourite spot while we were in town. Get ready for the small town diner experience, complete with Canada's National dish, poutine. Don't judge until you try it, it truly is heaven on a plate. Draped in cheese and gravy. So probably better than heaven. Just sayin'.

Grilled chicken burrito, with a side of poutine. Heaven. On. A. Plate. I tell you.

If you ever find yourself passing through London, Ontario I highly recommend making a stop at Prince Al's Diner. I can promise you won't be disappointed.