Inspired by various videos and exhibitions by French artist JR and his Inside Out movement, I have just started a new project which I'm tentatively calling "Ollos que non ven..." - meaning literally "Eyes that don't see.." in Galician. The meaning however, really only makes sense in the context of the expression "Ollos que non ven, corazón que non sente" (Eyes that don't see. Heart that doesn't feel), which is the equivalent of Out of Sight, Out of Mind in English. No, it's not blind people but it does send a powerful message to the relevant people. Unfortunately, I can't go into more detail for the time being because part of the project involves an element of anonymity. What I can do is show you a few of the raw photos I've been taking and the different styles I've been playing around with. more to come shortly...
My latest project "Ollos que non ven" has been directly inspired by a now very famous French street artist called JR. I'd seen some work he did in the slums of Rio de Janeiro but it wasn't until a friend sent a video link of him being awarded the TED prize, and the presentation that followed, that I realised how to go about setting up my new initiative.
Here's the video.
So, although the project I'm undertaking is slightly different in the way I've decided to present it, what JR and his art did was to open my eyes all of a sudden to the potential of street exhibitions. Why not exhibit in the street? It's certainly the best place for people to see your work. It's certainly the most "democratic" way of presenting art to the public.
If you want to get involved in the Inside Out Project, take a look at their website here. Prompted by my colleagues, I managed to catch this girl with her incredible eyes moments before we were completely surrounded by excited children and she disappeared into the crowd
One of the most enjoyable aspects of following Clowns without Borders South Africa was the audience reaction. The children were very often squealing with laughter but part of the magic was in watching their expressions change and the different emotions they revealed - confusion, intrigue, wonder, curiosity, joy and even pity (for the clowns) at times. And of course, with such a large number of children, you find so many different personalities - from the wild, excitable ones who leap up at every opportunity, to the quiet, reserved ones who reveal their emotions in a more introverted way. Here is a selection of some of my favourite "faces" from the Vuka Mphakathi (Awakening the Community) programme in Swaziland. I could be accused of removing all the fun from these photos by publishing them in black and white. I'm probably guilty but I think the true colour of the images is in their faces.
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