Sonder
/ ˈsɒn dər /
[n.] the realization that each passerby sees has a life as vivid and complex as one's own.
Created by John Koenig and released in his book, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, this is a neologism constructed to describe the emotion we cannot describe in the words we have. Sonder has shaped how I use the camera: it is not just a tool to capture a single moment, but as a lens into the vast network of subtle stories unfolding around us. Through my work, I search for the quiet, mundane, or even overlooked details that reveal a person’s place within their own narrative.
Most often, we appear in each other’s lives only as strangers. Yet, when framed through my photography, even small fragments suggest the enormity of a life beyond the frame. Each photograph is an attempt to slow a world that rarely does, to draw on ordinary moments that illuminate individuality, and an invitation to glimpse, even briefly, into the depth of extraordinary stories we may never fully know.
portraits
-of my friends-
Hi, I’m Jojo. I’m a passionate storyteller — whether behind the lens, holding a paintbrush, or performing literature on stage, I use every medium at my fingertips to explore identity, human emotion, and culture.
No matter the weather, you’ll be able to catch me adventuring the city in a dark blue poncho and a neon green camping bag. Exception: on stormy days, I’ll be immersed in David Campany’s On Photographs or Greg Girard’s City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City.
My work has been published in Vancouver Public Library’s ink, the Vancouver Poetry Magazine, exhibited at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre, and awarded silver at the 2025 Canada Youth Visual Art Contest.
My cameras!
Calcifer, RICOH GR3X: named after the fire spirit from Howl’s Moving Castle
Heen, Canon ELPH 170: named after the puppy of Madame Suliman
Oshira, Polaroid Big Shot: named after the radish from Spirited Away
I can also be found decorating my bedroom wall with the 170th Ghibli postcard, playing Hisaishi with my flute & piccolo, or attempting to finish my Chinese watercolour painting that has gone on for months.
