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 #22 – Stephen S. – June 21th, 2010

Posted by 50 Couches in 50 Nights ⋅ February 22, 2011 ⋅ Leave a comment

INTERVIEW

Couch #22 belongs to Steve. He lives in three bedroom, three bath house with a yard in Santa Clarita. Santa Clarita is a combination of Valencia, Saugus, Newhall, and Canyon Country. They all banded together to form Santa Clarita in 1985 so they could have more money for libraries and police forces and the like.

The couch was bought in 2003 from Sofa You Love. It was the first piece of furniture that Steve and his wife Mary bought together. They went to the showroom on Western one day and sat on the couch and saw how deep it was and they fell in love with it. It’s extra deep and is actually a queen-sized pull-out. It’s got styrofoam in it and down around the styrofoam. They wish that there were three cushions instead of two. The cushions are pretty heavy and they take a lot of work to make sure that they look good and don’t get deformed. The couch has travelled with them from Hollywood to this house. It’s one of the main reasons that Steve can’t move himself anymore. It’s a beast, but is worth it. He loves it for napping. It’s so comfortable.

Steve worked on Avatar for about two years. He finished that up about a year and half ago and is now a stay at home Dad during the day and a writer/director/filmmaker at night and during the day when he’s not watching his two boys.

Steve is married and his wife, Mary, works. They started dating in 1992. Yes, they have been together for 18 years. They got married in 2003. They have two children, Jack who is 4, and Ryan who is 2.

For fun, Steve plays with the kids. He also goes to the movies, to some concerts, and plays golf with some close friends. Steve likes hanging out with friends although he doesn’t have much time to go out anymore. Having two toddlers has taken care of that completely. Steve usually goes to the movies after the boys and Mary have gone to sleep. It’s nice, because in Santa Clarita, everyone is in bed by 10 o’clock, so sometimes he’s the only one in the 300 seat movie theatre at that hour. He enjoys that. That’s fun.

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50 Couches in 50 Nights

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