On interviewing and gathering

Taishanred | Taishan Mountain, China 7.2008

in this flux
are assembledges, or shapes,
or patterns of relative intensity
and fixity, and certainty. paradoxically solid
and fluid,the images are moments in the
flow of human experience.
— charles madge p48

Part of the process — of researching around a topic — requires interviews and contact. To understand points of view, to map subjectivity, to make physical contact with people on the same path or to gain information from people encountered. The group expands my understanding and takes my research from the self to the group experience.

The more people gathering firewood, the higher the flames will grow.
— Chinese proverb.

It's not with ease that these interviews are done. There is discomfort at times, but pushing beyond stage fright and shyness is imperative to gather facts and stories. The group wisdom and the individual stories are essential. It is also a method to humanize what could be distant or dry. By reaching out and engaging with strangers i force myself out of my shell, my self — and relate. When it's in the name of work, i manage. Sometimes it's excruciating. to go up and smile and ask for help. It's help really that I'm seeking. Help in the sense of adding to my research. making my project have content, or in the case of the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, of coming up with the 'independent' typeface

But pushing out is the point. This work in general is about getting off the computer away from routine and engaging in contact. Immersing myself is as important as creating immersive spaces for others,

from the risd student gallery