Seeing People Better, with Practice
Inspired by the insightful photography of Gus Powell, Grant McCracken has a post close to the spirit of people who carry cameras everywhere looking for Thoughtless or Everyday acts of design. There is much to be learned by looking around and recording, thinking about we looked at and chose to record and, most important, learning to look deeper into what hapens around us:
[Gus Powell’s photography] demonstrates how much anthropological work there is to be done, and that it is open to anyone prepared to engage in simple acts of observation. Clearly Powell is extravagantly talented as a photographer but some of the power of his work comes I think from a willingness to notice what the rest of us let slip by. That is to say, there is a Pepysian project here that invites the participation not only of the likes of a Pepys or a Powell, but anyone prepared to pick up a camera or a pen. Lunch hour anthropology is open to everyone. And I particularly love the constraint Powell puts in place. After his inspiration Frank O’Hara, he asks, “what can I see in an hour?” A constraint of this kind prevents us from being overwhelmed by everything that needs noticing “out there.” A little act of discipline makes the project manageable and this in turns makes the project possible.
Thoughtless Acts photostream on Flickr. The picture above is from my iPhone on the F train: he was doing multiple shapes with his origami, using some cool metallic purple tweesers for the more delicate folds and tucks.