Some of you might already be familiar with Humans of New York, or HONY for short. This ongoing street photography project by Brandon Stanton is part art, part social commentary, and a very compelling study of the people who live in New York City.
HONY started as a photoblog that grew into a popular Facebook page and a bestselling book, but it’s become so much more. HONY is its own community, and provides a touching and insightful look at the human race. It’s not just a collection of a bunch of photos of random strangers, it’s living, breathing, history.
Whether or not readers can personally relate to their triumphs or disappointments, they all have one thing in common: the stories are all inherently human, and because of that very basic element, they bind us all together. So what does this have to do with the Kitchissippi Times? We decided to launch our own version of this photo project. Our goal is to introduce readers to some of the people who live, work, and play here in Kitchissippi, and let those people share snippets of their own life stories. This will be similar to the HONY concept, albeit on a much smaller scale and with names. But perhaps the scale of it – the fact that we’re more likely to see these people on any day in our community – is part of what makes it even more compelling.
The simple act of getting to know our neighbours brings us that much closer together. As famed “photograffeur” JR said in his 2011 TED talk: “What we see changes who we are.” (Read more about JR here and how he inspired another special project at Hilson Avenue Public School.) It is for all these reasons and more, that we are very excited to bring you HOK: Humans of Kitchissippi. Each instalment of HOK will contain three elements: a photo, a name, and a quote from the subject that reveals a little bit about who they are. You can view the growing collection right here.