FAMILIAR STRANGERS Photographic set by Itgel.A
The Rationale I’ve always been fascinated by how people’s tiniest choices can alter their immediate future. There are lots of coincidences where people make a very subtle decisions and it leads them to a certain point to meet someone else. For example, when you decide to take a road home instead of choosing the road you usually take to go home, and you run into someone that changes your entire life. Or when you decide to book a seat next to the window instead of sitting in the middle when your planning for a flight, and somehow when you get on the plane the person who happens to be sitting next to you is your friend all the way back from elementary school. This has actually happened to me. At first, I did not recognize my friend but as we talked and talked we actually discovered we were in a same class back in elementary school. I was mind blown ! I was mind blown because of how crazy this coincidence was. I love how these tiniest decisions lead us to other people and brings them together. So this experience gave me an interesting idea of how we perceive strangers, and how those ‘Strangers’ could be someone once you’ve hanged around everyday. Or this stranger you pass by when you’re walking down the streets can be someone who soon could be a very important part of your life. So I had the idea, and did not really know what to do with it first. But then I started to mind map and brain storm. And came up with an idea. The idea was, What if someone, (me for example) got out of my ways, out of my comfort zone to actually confront those strangers. And then I actually went out on the streets of Gold Coast and started approaching people. I’m usually very socially awkward person, and this was definitely a very compelling experience I have ever done. I have approached total of 38 strangers. 99% percent of the people were nice enough to let me photograph them. As I was introducing to myself to the people and explaining the concept of my project, People tend to really like it. Some of the girls I approached thought I was trying to pick them up but it was all right after I explained everything. The whole confronting the strangers idea was exciting to them, and to me as well. When approached these strangers I wanted them to stay strangers but also wanted to know a little bit about them. So I asked “What do you love?” from each and every person. Their answers varied depending on what they were doing or what they were thinking at the moment. The question was completely random. I knew i wanted to ask something personal from these people but didn’t know what. So I just opened up a dictionary and pointed at it with my eyes closed. And I had the word passion. So I wanted to know what they love and passionate about. With the help of randomness, and completely shutting down my logical way of thinking. I was able to become a very small part of these people’s lives. Normally, I wouldn’t go up to strangers and start introducing myself. But with the techniques I choosed to acknowledge during this class really helped me to push myself to do these things. And I am very happy that I was able to compliment them and at least make them smile. At the start of this project I was oblivious of what I was going to do. But as I went through my ideas and started to mind map, It all came together. And it became this very exciting and very compelling experience. I wanted to elaborate more and dig deep into other people’s theories of how we perceive strangers. So I found a guy called Georg Simmel. Who was a Sociologist from Germany. His interpretation of how humans behave among strangers and how we perceive them was a different level of perception. It wasn’t very relative to what my project was all about.
“.. I love Films..“
“.. I’m Zacca, and I love my country Philippines ..“
“.. We love the beach .. “
“.. We love Biking ..”
“.. I just love the fresh in the morning mate ..“
“.. I was born to perform in front of people..“
“.. I love music bro..“
“.. I enjoy the sounds of the ocean .. “
“.. I love blue berry muffins..“
“.. I love GoldCoast..“
“.. I love my Family man..“
“.. I love my friends..“
“.. Aww, I love my friends too..“
“.. I love this beautiful lady right beside me..“
“.. This guy right here ..”
“.. We love us ..”
“.. I’m not really sure man, my collection of records maybe ? ..”
“.. I love the smell after the rain ..�
“.. I love how this wind is freezing me to death right now, haha ..�
“.. I like computer games ..�
“.. We love our mum .. “
“.. I love my job ..”
“.. I love my daughter ..”
“.. I love wind surfing..”
“.. Me as well ..”
“.. I love my grand children..”
“.. I love Coffee..”
“.. I love cruising ..”
S2864966 Creative Thinking 2545QCA Sem 1 2014 Gold Coast Campus