Settled within both the rural and the urban, the intricacies of American lives moves with nuance through Moni’s work—both spontaneous and equally refreshing. Existing within a spirit of fantasy and practical reality, Moni’s vision holds a definition of the American spirit mostly unspoken but understood in a time of advised positivity. Moni speaks to Coeval about alien experiences in America and inspiring vision after the offbeat.

Tell us a little about yourself, what got you started in photography?
Two ex-boyfriends back in the day made me realize that photography was a way to iconify things/places/people that intrigued/obsessed me. They were into old cars and bikes and would take really good b/w photos that inspired me. One bought me a 35mm camera and the other taught me how to develop film and print. I would say that the dopamine rush from taking photos has been the most unchanging persistent part of my life. It's absolutely still my way of translating/describing/enquiring into any aspect of something that interests me. Also, I like how this changes over the years. I have no interest in taking the same kind of photos that I took a few years ago, but I can still use my camera to look at what I am into right now. This always seems magical to me somehow.

Your work has stretched through earlier intimate projects in Johnny’s Bird to working with Petra Collins for DAISY TV, what are some of your favorite photos you’ve taken?
Hmmmm I was talking to Petra actually yesterday about how I almost never look back on photos I've taken! It's kind of annoying to me that I don't...but usually it's first having an idea that I’m dying to shoot and then planning it and shooting it, then the results, and then it's done and I want the buzz of the new idea to move on to. Sometimes I accidentally see old johnnysbird pics and am surprised that I still like them. I guess my favorites are always the most recent. I'm really into shooting attack dogs on video and making stills of their evil snarling teeth. I can't seem to get over that yet, so I really love those! I'm also really into imaginary small time disasters of the future, like how new ways of life are layered upon the old and can go wrong and be funny.

In your earlier photos and even reminiscent in Petra’s, there seems to be a tale of America’s glory both ironic yet glorious and soft in a youthful, experimental way. Are there certain aspects of America that still call to you today?
Yes! Always and forever. Both Petra and I are resident aliens of the US and so are continually obsessed with it in a way that comes from not being born here. We talk about America literally all the time and if we both could just drive around it and check out every single place in it for the rest of our lives we honestly would. I have always loved small time stuff more than anything; people's habits and behaviour and hustle and what they fight about and how they get by with no money and what they care about and where it leads them. Watching Cops and Live PD is super inspiring for me if I want to have characters in my mind to invent for a shoot. I love "wrong" things more than the prescribed positivity of our time. Any irony in my photos is affectionate and a result of a true obsession with America that fuels me always.

Are there any upcoming projects you would like to share?
More trash videos coming soon lol and I kind of want to make a fake documentary at some point. Petra and I shot a jewelry collection for jiwinaia recently, we had prosthetic ears made for my daughter and found a guy who had horses and cows in his backyard in Sylmar. I liked the idea of an alien child found and raised by this family, brought up in a weird paradise with the animals, hidden from the world...it made me want to take it further, but have it be like an extended news item rather than a beautifully shot fiction. So yea, that's where my head is at the moment!