Gail Albert Halaban
American, b. 1970
Peggy’s Party, Boulevard Flandrin, Paris, 75016 November, 2021
Archival pigment print
_{© 2021 Gail Albert Halaban}

Peering inside this Parisian apartment building we see a lively party, a man quietly reading the paper, and daily life in a young family’s apartment. Behind this building, the illuminated Eiffel Tower acts as a beacon. The scenes here look candid, but the image is a collaboration between the photographer and those being photographed. Peggy’s Party is part of Gail Albert Halaban’s Out My Window project, which explores human connection and community around the world. She meets people who live across the street from one another and introduces them before working together to construct the photograph. Halaban’s inventive approach brings the fantastic and ordinary qualities of people, their lives, and their homes into our view. The large format of this photograph creates an immersive quality, helping us feel as if we are transported to the City of Lights.