100 Strangers Project - 69/100 /  by Michael Pung

The other day, I decided to make my way to a new cafe to do some work and made my way to Redfern. I was walking down the road and came across a man walking his little terrier. His name was Tommy and her name was Mini. 

Tommy has a habit of naming his pets after brands of cars. He used to have a cat named Porsche and now has another named Alfie (after Alfa Romeo). When he was younger, he used to have a collection of well over 300 of Matchbox and Hotwheel cars. He really loved his old car, a Gran Turismo Hawk 62.

He then showed me some of the photos that he took of himself and his pets on his phone:

"I take heaps of them. That was me yesterday. I cut my hair last Tuesday. This hair colour I bought it around a month ago but I just put it on now. It says dark brown but it looks blue to me."

He told me about his family, about watching his nieces and nephews grow up on Facebook, about how his older brother passed away from a liver condition and also about a car he acquired when he was younger:

"I used to have a Hillman Gazelle. I got that probably 88.. 89? It was probably a 68 model or something. Beautiful, big chrome square grille. It looked a lot older for the era. It looked old when it was brand new. This one had the fins and bubbly guards and everything and it looked totally out of date. The girl I got it off it started having engine problems so she got a new car and gave it to me for nothing! Got it from Newcastle. She used to live over at Newcastle and I lived at Raymond Terrace, so I drove it back to Raymond Terrace, there was smoke going out of it. The crank in the engine was broken. I never got around to fixing it so I stored it in my Dad's yard and when they were selling the house so he sold it to someone in the Helmet club so that was pretty neat."

Thank you Tommy for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 68/100 /  by Michael Pung

So while I was taking photos of Adrian, Elizabeth noticed us and approached us (bearing in mind I was still standing on the barrier at this point).

"What's going on here?" She asked inquisitively.

"I'm taking this gentleman's portrait. It's part of a project." I replied.

"That's interesting, it's nice to meet people here in this neighborhood."

"There you go, another person for your project," remarked Adrian.

Adrian helped me down and we started talking.

"You can take a photo of me, but make sure you get my bag in the shot as well!"

Elizabeth comes from Scotland and enjoys meeting new people and come across many during her forays into town. She also loves Donnie Day, Rod Stewart and Betty Boop and keeps posters and ornaments of them in her home.

"When I go into Stratford, I start with £40 but between Argos and Morrisons, I am £20 shorter because of the beggars and buskers!"

I took out my Instax camera and took a photo each of Adrian and Elizabeth and they watched the film develop. She said that she wants to buy an Instax and asked about the price of the camera and the film. Adrian instantly remarked about how expensive it is, but she replied saying that "You should spend your money. Buy what you want."

As I had to depart we said our goodbyes, Elizabeth and Adrian continue down the road in the same direction engaged in conversation.

Thank you Elizabeth for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 67/100 /  by Michael Pung

Not long before I left for London for Sydney I bumped into Adrian who lives near my old district of Leyton.

Adrian is a handy man who comes from Romania. What struck me initially about him was how tall he was compared to myself (He's 6'5).

"I always get picked for the basketball team. I didn't have a choice!"

In order to get a head shot of him I had to stand on a roadside barrier and Adrian was kind enough to help me down after the shoot.

Thank you Adrian for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 66/100 /  by Michael Pung

On the same day I met Daniel and Sze, I also met Daria. She was strolling down the road heading towards the station. She tells me that she enjoys playing the piano and shopping. She has been playing the piano since she was 6. 

"I find it relaxing. I recommend it, especially when I'm upset. You put your heart and soul into it."

Daria is from Romania but also spent some time living in Spain and doing some work there. She would love to visit Spain again in the future.

Thank you Daria for taking part in the Project!

100 Strangers Project - 65/100 /  by Michael Pung

Sze was standing, waiting and glancing at her phone on the side of a footpath. She was quite easy-going about having her photograph taken for the project. I asked her about her necklace which she explained is the symbol for Prince - an artist who she used to like listening to. However, lately she has been listening to other artists that she doesn't normally listen to. Artists such as Barbara Streisand and Tony Bennett who were vocally trained in a classical way.

Speaking of which, she is currently taking singing classes and prefers this way of singing over the more contemporary pop styles. I asked her why she's decided to take these classes and she replied, "I like pulling the rug from under my feet and try something different."  

"Ultimately get involved. You got to enjoy life," she added.

Thank you Sze for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 64/100 /  by Michael Pung

I met Daniel up near Angel walking up towards the town centre. He's not originally from London, in fact he was raised in and around several villages around Oxford and moved here later. I asked him what the highlight of his time here in London was and he told me that it was his music and being able to play with his band. They are called Desert Ships and the name was inspired from the evocative images of real desert ships.

I compared the idea of being in a band to being in a relationship as to which he wholly agreed: "We are like husband and husband and husband... And music is the sex." They have been together for 12 years to which he jokingly said that they have succeeded the Beatles in longevity. In addition to being a musician, Daniel also has a career as an English teacher.

You can check out Desert Ships here.

Thank you Daniel for taking part in the Project!

100 Strangers Project - 63/100 /  by Michael Pung

I usually remember the names of the strangers that I meet, but unfortunately I've forgotten the name of this one! To compound matters, I also lost the notes that I made from this interaction too!

However, I can share what I do remember from the interaction! I was walking down Dalston and noticed a lady leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette. As usual, I introduced myself and spoke about the project and she said yes. She claimed not to be photogenic but was happy to have her photo taken. We tried various angles and she was very pleasant the whole time. She comes from Italy and enjoys her mother's cooking... especially meatballs! She moved to London around 6 months ago to improve her English and to pursue her graphic design career. I wrote down her details and her Facebook page on my Note 4, but later on I found out that it didn't save! Probably time I invest in a real notebook.

If anyone does recognise her though can you please let me know what her name is so that I can send her these photos? Thanks in advance!

Thank you very much for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 62/100 /  by Michael Pung

I bumped into Mikayla via another photographer that I met a few minutes earlier. The photographer (whose name was Alex) asked me if I had a wiping cloth to clean his lens. We then got into talking about what we like to photograph and I told him about my project.

Enter Mikayla. Alex saw this as an opportunity to approach her for me and she was more than happy to have her photo taken!

She was around for the London Fashion Week and enjoyed seeing the different styles the people wore there. She loves to go thrift shopping and alternative fashion.

Thank you Mikayla for taking part in the project!