About this project

Hi my name is Jeffrey Shagawat and welcome to my kickstarter page. My goal is to create a gallery show called NEW BRAIN. It is the most important and poignant thing I've ever tried to do. I'm a 37 year old photographer living in New York City. Last year I experienced multiple seizures and went to the hospital to find out why. A dangerous tumor was discovered and I was rushed in for emergency brain surgery to remove it. It turned out to be brain cancer.
   
To say my life changed would be a huge understatement. All  of a sudden it was all about oncologists, neurologists, social workers, MRI's, chemotherapy, radiation, blood letting, hair losing, pills, paperwork, and major emotional highs and lows. I still can't believe I survived.To deal with the devastating experience I documented it all. I never left the house without two still film cameras, a video camera, my journal - I saved and documented everything. Staying creative was the only was the only way I could cope.

The culmination of all of this material is the show NEW BRAIN. It will be my entire life from November 2010 to November 2011. Large photographs will be hung chronologically around the room. In addition to cancer related pictures and self portraits, there will be images from photo shoots and street photography I took during that time. The walls will be covered with medical paperwork and artifacts. Twenty five old televisions will be showing the videotapes I recorded simultaneously.

I hope the show strikes a chord with people. It's not a pity trip but a way to share my work in a new and meaningful way.

Thank you so much for your interest and helping me to make this happen. Please visit shagawat.com and shagawat.tumblr.com to see my photography.