50 Couches in 50 Nights

My name is Dean MacKay. In June and July of 2010, I slept on 50 different couches in 50 consecutive nights. I took photographs of the couches, both as a couch and as my bed. I took portraits of my hosts and interviewed them. I documented their homes on film and digitally as well as in a journal. I was treated to home cooked meals and intimate secrets. I was cared for when I was ill and checked in on after I was long gone. There were sleepless nights and busy days and times spent discussing the past and dreaming about the future. I drank a lot of coffee at a lot of different coffee houses. There were old friends who became closer and acquaintances who I now call my friends. There were even strangers who invited me into their homes. Threads were woven among them all. My skills were honed as I practiced my craft on a daily basis. I learned many things about my hosts and I continue to learn many things about myself. These times are unforgettable. This journey was initially born out of necessity. The economic times had taken their toll. But the fruit of this labor is not simply financial. It is emotional and spiritual and societal. I tapped into something that is still developing. And as it develops I will share with you this knowledge as well as providing you a way to share it with others. I hope that you will support me as this journey continue and grows. I plan to unveil many things from this work including a coffee table book on the couches, and perhaps other books and a documentary. I'm also hoping to get the blog carried on a major website. Of course, and second project is also in the works although what form it will take has yet to be determined. Any assistance or advice that you can offer to further these projects is welcome. Your support, both financial and emotional, is crucial to my success. Thank You. © Dean MacKay 2010

50 Couches in 50 Nights has written 48 posts for 50 Couches in 50 Nights

Couch #23 – Maura – June 22nd, 2010

Posted by 50 Couches in 50 Nights ⋅ February 28, 2011 ⋅ 1 Comment

THE INTERVIEW

Couch #23 belongs to Maura. She lives in an apartment in Hancock Park . Not everyone knows where Hancock Park is, so sometimes she just says Hollywood. Hancock Park is more impressive. When I used to live nearby in Hollywood, I used to say I lived near Hancock Park. Where I lived it was not quite as nice as this neighborhood. I wouldn’t have felt as safe parking my car full of stuff there. I also would have heard a lot more car alarms as I noted in the last blog. However, the fruit and ice cream vendors did come around that neighborhood and they don’t in Hancock Park. Oh, and there was the knife sharpening guy. Let’s not forget about him.

The couch is from Levitz in Burbank. Before this couch Maura had a couch named “Purple Love” It was a plum, 9 foot, camel-backed, sleeper sofa and Maura loved it. It had to be moved in and out through her window and even that wasn’t easy. I believe it even involved the wall having to be cut into to get into the apartment. The current couch was able to fit through the door. Maura was doing okay financially at the time when she bought it, but could only afford to buy once piece of furniture at a time. At this point in her life she wanted to replace all of her IKEA furniture because she wanted to be a grown up. So, first, she bought this new red leather sofa. There was also a love seat and a chair that went with it and ideally that’s what she wanted to get. But then Levitz announced that they were going out of business. Maura then went back, but buy this point the had discontinued the rest of the set. Instead, she bought a love seat and chair that are chocolate in color. They don’t necessarily match, but they do blend well. She’s actually really glad that she got them, because if she had the all red set, it might look a little more “boudoir” in the living room than she would have liked. She loves the couch though. It is comfortable and it did pass the nap test. Maura doesn’t buy a couch unless she can lay on it and actually fall asleep in the store. If napping was an Olympic sport, Maura would totally medal. She is the Queen of napping.

Maura is a High School Principal in Boyle Heights. At the time of this interview, Maura was in a 5 year relationship, but currently she is single. She is allergic is cats and dogs and is not home enough to be a good pet owner.

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