The hallways in my school were built too narrow for the student capacity, so students would pack in the hallways like sardines. Nowhere else to look, I would be forced to look at the backpack of the person in front of me. Then and now, despite being in a crowd, I feel more alone than before, especially since I’ve always struggled a lot with making friends and talking to strangers. Before the moment I interact with someone, the people around me are almost visually, but not physically present. Through this series, I wanted to address the feeling of loneliness despite having people physically around. In these photos, the strangers who surround the person are made cardboard – flat, inanimate, and unable to provide the connection I yearn for.