Havana

Philip-Lorcia diCorcia often orchestrates the production of his images from start to finish. In his series Streetwork (1993–99), however, the artist shifted gears and became, as he put it, "interested in the dramatic possibilities of chance." He hid remotely controlled flashes synched to his camera over city streets, leaving one variable undetermined—the subject. Using his camera's shutter as a trap, diCorcia captured seemingly banal, fleeting moments between strangers on the street. A final addition to Streetwork, Havana is one of 10 photographs that di Corcia took from a single vantage point in this manner, not knowing the situations that might materialize in front of his theatrical lighting. The mute presence of this man pausing on a sidewalk could be interpreted as either inquisitive or predatorial when considered in relation to the two young women at the counter nearby—although diCorcia insists in the "non-narrative" quality of his work.