The work “Cabdriver” (2016-2019) was born on London's streets while Daniel was working as a part-time Uber executive cab driver. The road is a scenic space that permits self-reflection, whether as a pedestrian or a driver. It also allowed Daniel to get in touch with his inner voice, which became louder in solitude and routine, especially in such a job: cab driver. After a while, the roads begin to look the same, and one might get deprived of fascination and left alone with oneself. There are times when one could step outside of the comfort zone, but very often Daniel used to get stuck in his own traffic jam of disturbing thoughts, or worse, in limbo, as in a dead-end road, so Daniel was forced to learn the practice of detaching himself from them and follow his thoughts through the eyes of an observer. Daniel started documenting these moods using his camera. He wasn't looking to document the landmarks, the sensational or 'the exotic, ostentatious, romantic sound of city names' (W. Benjamin), which has grown a need for possessing the photographed object. But quite the opposite, to document the banal alienation between people and their everyday surroundings as we are always around them but significantly less notice them.
The series of photographs are limited by the windscreen, door frame, and the windows of the car. They are just statements that the photographer is a driver. The concept behind each image is open to complexity and ambiguity so that every time you look at that picture, you think differently. I find this powerful, and that is where I get my fascination from.
This work was selected and exhibited as part of Cartographies of Inclusion 2017 Urban Photo Fest London.