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6 Billion Others
March 12th, 2007I’ve been told I have a bad habit of asking inappropriately personal questions, particularly of people I’ve just met. It’s true - from cab drivers to airplane seatmates, I practically interrogate new acquaintances (and old ones alike) because I have a fascination with hearing people’s stories - where are you fromWhat’s important to youWhat experiences have shaped who you are and how you see the world?
Which is why I’m utterly fascinated by 6 billion others, a project by renowned French photographer Yann Althrus-Bertrand that is one of the most poignant portraits of humankind I’ve ever seen. “6 billion others” draws a portrait of contemporarylife by asking questions about universal values:What is happinessWhat do we fear?What’s the meaning of life?
To answer these questions, six directors set off in 2003 across the world to interview the inhabitants of the planet. To date the project hasvisited 65 countries and conducted 6000 interviews. There are over 450 hours of translated and subtitled video portraits available for public viewing. Each full frame shot creates a sense of intimacy with the interviewee that is absolutely mesmerizing.
The project is a both a demographer’s and an artist’s dream:looking beyond the statistics about world population, “6 billion others” offers a unique view of who our neighbors really are.
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January 6th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
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