July
27
2010
By Amy Smithers
Pilgrimage—it's an ancient concept that gains a whole new spin when you add modern photography into the mix. One of our pigs answered some questions about his cool new project.
Jordan Bower is a contributor to The Sounder, and a friend of us here on the Trufflepig farm. An avid traveller with a particular attachment to India, his new plan is to walk from Vancouver to the Mexican border, and this time he really wants to get other people involved in his trip. As tends to happen, we got curious and started asking questions:
What is the goal of your project?
I'm walking 1,800 miles down the pacific coast of the US as an experiment in cross-cultural storytelling. New technologies, especially the internet and digital cameras, have enabled people all over the world to see each other as never before. That's a really great thing, but we also have a tendency to interpret images according to our own biases. My goal is to try to dig deeper, to the human level, and attempt to build connections from there.
How did you come up with this idea, and what makes it important?
During a year and a half spent travelling in India, I thought extensively about the contrasts between that society and our own. One apparent observation related to the differing speeds of travel: in North America, things move impossibly fast; in India, impossibly slow. I could see the benefits of speed—especially when it came to things like health, visiting family, and overall efficiency—but in India, I came to appreciate the lessons that unfold at walking pace. This walk is an attempt to bring the idea of pilgrimage to fast-paced North America, and through my photography, to create something bigger than myself.
Tell us about other photography exhibits you've participated in, and how will this one compare?
My photos from wandering in India eventually grew into an exhibition on a public streetcar (trolley) in downtown Toronto for this past May's CONTACT Photo Festival. The idea was to present the photos I had taken in the way that they had occurred: as random, serendipitous interactions between strangers. The response was fabulous, and I really became aware of the power of these types of interactions in this type of space. My goal is to continue to explore positive ways to bring people together like this. With the photos that I'll take on my walk, I plan to travel to India to try the opposite experiment, holding a similar exhibition in a public place.
Why should readers back you instead of another charity or project?
There are hundreds of thousands of worthwhile charities and projects out there that are doing meaningful things for real people in need, and I hope that your readers have taken the time to connect with and contribute to at least one. My goal isn't to ask for charity so I can travel. Instead, I believe I am offering a value-for-value exchange. I am attempting to connect people with something deep within themselves and offer them, if they'd like, some inspiration and tools for change. This is the need I am hoping to meet. Through your support and attention, we can combine to learn and grow.
Contact Jordan if you'd like to walk with him on a portion of his journey, or learn more about his project. And if you like what you read here, there's more where that came from; visit our trip planning site, or check out our Facebook and Twitter pages.