Harrison Heinks

I have autism, and I see the world very differently than most. I notice the smallest details that most people ignore, and people tend to ignore me because I have a disability. I see myself existing in this world by capturing my reflection in everyday scenarios. My work is reminiscent of twentieth-century street photographers like Lee Friedlander and Vivian Maier. I insert myself subtly yet deliberately in my images through shadow and reflection. Because my autism can be a barrier for me to relate to the “normal” world, when I capture my reflection in a window, the glass acts as a barrier to whatever is behind the window. In my artwork, the things behind the reflection represent the ordinary world; I live in the glass, being caught in another plane that runs parallel to the world in which everyone else lives. By capturing my image in this “in-between” state, I’m re-inventing myself so that the outside world cannot ignore me anymore. By looking at my work, I am present in their world.