I had the strange but wonderful pleasure of meeting Chrissy while taking a stroll on Manhattan’s Lower West Side. At the time of our first encounter, I was creating photographs of city landscapes. Chrissy greeted me in a snarling, defensive manner, with a crude “Hello.”
In the weeks to follow, I made repeated attempts to get into her good graces, and eventually I did, becoming one of the very few persons whom she would allow to photograph and videotape on a very intimate level. My relationship with Chrissy, although difficult at times, bore a pleasant fruit. Despite her severe mental illness, our friendship blossomed into a trusting and understanding relationship. Sadly, we have lost contact for a while, but Chrissy has been spotted still living on the streets. Here she is play-acting as a fortune teller. (Photo and text by Donato DiCamillo)
