“Jeffrey Shagawat is a talented young photographer living in Tribeca,” emailed Cecile Heron recently; she was one of the first readers I met after starting this site. “Last year, he found out he had a brain tumor. Brain cancer. And he created art out of this terrifying ordeal. Now he wants to show this art in a gallery. His project is called ‘New Brain,’ and you can read about it—and help fund it—at the project’s Kickstarter page. His work and his spirit are awe-inspiring. I think you should do a Q&A about this great person.”

I couldn’t have agreed more, so I enlisted Cecile to help with the Q&A—who better than a friend of Jeffrey’s? And the images are from “New Brain” as well as some of his photography in general, including some of his street photography, which I really loved when I saw it on his site and his Tumblr.

Tell me about “New Brain.”
In November of 2010, I had a cancerous tumor removed from my brain and went through months of chemo and radiation. “New Brain” is the multimedia gallery show that was birthed from this crazy experience. I photographed and videotaped my daily life for an entire year. It’s not all doctor- and cancer-related. There are photo shoots with friends and models, nightlife pics, interviews with myself, and some just of the world passing by. It was my personal therapy. I saved every document, pill container, Band-Aid and, medicinal artifact that was given to me. For my exhibit, I plan to arrange all the photos in chronological order and set up old television sets that will play the videotapes simultaneously. I hope to replicate my own experience as well as create an uneasy sense of chaos.

What do you want people to take away from it?
Whatever they happen to get. For the first time in my life I am thinking more about myself as an artist instead of the viewer. This exhibit is extremely personal and I’m just putting it all out there. Letting down my guard is a new experience for me, and I hope it helps others to feel freer to do the same.

How did you decide to do a Kickstarter project?
I knew that I wanted to do a show, but I was so focused on surviving and creating that I didn’t think to deal with the logistics. I assumed that somebody would just find me, my story, and my work. Ether way I am going to need a lot of money to create this show. A friend mentioned Kickstarter and I just had to go for it. It is an amazing site that allows people to bring their visions to fruition.

What catches your eye when you’re taking street photography?
The greatest part about street photography is that it comes to you. The only thing that you need to be is ready for it. There is never a time that I don’t have a camera. I just walk around and shoot. Looking back, I’ve captured many people and a lot of moments just from being on the streets. I’ve caught people running through the rain, yelling at cabdrivers, kissing in the street. The benefit of being an artist throughout my medical crisis was taking advantage of my changed lifestyle. I was exercising my body by walking and my mind was distracted by shooting. Also, I had time to explore different neighborhoods and different social circumstances.

Has that changed since your ordeal?
My life has certainly changed; for better or for worse. I went through a delusional “Life is great” period as well as a “Life is hell” period.  I realized it’s not one or the other. Life is great and it can suck at times. These ups and downs are what keep life interesting and help us to learn. They keep us on our feet. If I wasn’t feisty prior to cancer I might not have been here today.

All of these smaller images can be enlarged by clicking (but you really should click this one, in particular, to get the full effect)

What’s the goal—to raise enough money to rent a gallery?
There are many expenses in creating a show. The contributions will go toward printing, developing, and framing the photos. Also, I’ll need television sets with DVD players in order to play the different videotapes. I’ll also need to convert these tapes into DVDs. I hope I  won’t need to rent a space, but I suppose I’ll have to unless I can find a gallery interested in showing my work. The main goal, however, is to create this show in order to finally put this hurdle behind me and feel a sense of closure. Also, I’d like to inspire hope to people who are struggling with any kind of obstacle in life.

How has the response been?
The response has been amazing and overwhelming. After months of trying to move on with my life, Kickstarter brought me right back into the thick of things. Suddenly, I was reliving the experience and telling people who hadn’t heard yet what I went through. People came out of the woodwork. Some from my past as far back as grammar school, some as fresh as a couple days ago, and some I have never met or seen. One guy from the Midwest found me on the Web. His cancer diagnosis is fatal. He has three young children and we’ve been talking about art and how he can leave something behind for his family. This entire experience has been extremely emotional as well as therapeutic. The connections I’ve made with people have made the experience already worth it.

As a photographer living in Tribeca, are there any parts of Tribeca you find particularly ripe for photography?
Of course, we have some of the greatest sunsets in the city. I live right by the Hudson River and sometimes there is a speck of light reflecting off different windows. This might be the only time that that light will ever exist. I love this neighborhood and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else!