100 Strangers Project - 61/100 /  by Michael Pung

I continued on my way down the road heading towards Oxford Street when I caught Aaron. He was standing around casually, enjoying a cigarette break from work. I approach him and ask him for a photo. His immediate response was of surprise and he laughed saying that it's fine.

I asked him "How would you like to be remembered?"

"That's a tough one. I would like to be remembered as having had fun."

He said that his work is quite stressful and he probably doesn't get to have as much fun as he'd like but he is doing something that he enjoys. He works for the commercial side of fashion working on many projects - one of them working out a way to transition events such as the London Fashion Week from the real world to the digital.

Thank you Aaron for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 60/100 /  by Michael Pung

So I caught the tail-end of London Fashion Week and although I wasn't able to get inside to watch the catwalks, I was still able to take a few photos from outside. People were dressed dare shall I say, fashionably? There were many people making a statement with their clothing and I think it is a great way for people to express themselves- fashion is a form of expression.

Anna was chatting with her friend on the side of the road when I approached her. She said that she was dressed very simple - at least compared to some of the others - but I think what she had worked for her. She is half Brazilian and Italian and gets to visit London Fashion week because her parents run a coffee chain which sponsors the event.

Thank you Anna for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 59/100 /  by Michael Pung

Olivia was crossing the street when I approached her. I quickly explained my project and she said yes!

I asked her: 

How would your friends describe you?

"Independent, adventurous and a clear sense of direction."

Olivia is currently studying a masters degree in environmental engineering - specialising in water treatment. She hopes to one day put the environment back to the way it was before human intervention. 

"I want to be at the forefront of helping the environment and assist in any way I can."

She visited China for 6 weeks in the summer and was saddened that there really isn't anything in place by the government to improve the quality of the environment over there and that in possibly around 35 years, everything would probably need to be rebuilt.

"We all breathe the same air. The pollution in Asia affects everyone even in the States and in Europe."

She seemed passionate about the topic and hopes to make a difference to the environment, be it research or working on projects in a different part of the world.

I showed her the photos I took of her and offered to send them to her. As I was taking down her email, we then discussed the use of smartphones:

"I don't want to be reached all the time. I used to keep my phone on complete silence but then my boyfriend got mad because I wasn't answering his calls. So now I just have my messages on silent and only my calls go through."

She's not totally against smartphones though, but whenever she goes away she tries to keep it off so she can enjoy the experiences of travel. 

Thank you Olivia for taking part in the project!

 

 

100 Strangers Project - 58/100 /  by Michael Pung

Ryusuke was sitting enjoying his break from work when I approached him. He was very relaxed when I explained my project and was happy to have his photo taken. Ryusuke's attire stood out from the crowd for me, he was wearing a hat and his clothes were coordinated with the colour of his glasses and he also had a holster for all of his hairdressing tools - it reminded me of country-western gun holster. He comes from Hanedakuko Japan and moved to London 1 year ago with his wife whom he met in a logistics company over there. He has been hairdressing for 17 years. One of his favourite things to do is to go to the beach and enjoy the sun - something he doesn't like so much here in London! He sometimes goes to Cornwall for surfing the waves, something he enjoyed doing back when he was in Japan.

Thank you Ryusuke for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 56/100 /  by Michael Pung

After meeting Reine in Chinatown we head to the tube to find our way back home. We end up at Paddington tube station and come across a couple who appear to be working out where they were going.

My friend approaches them asking if they need any help with directions. They have exhausted themselves working out where their hotel is after a long day out, where they traveled from Oxford for their daughter's graduation. Their names are Linda and Tom and they come from Southlake, Texas.

I offer to send a copy of the photo to them and Linda says that I can send it to her daughter's email address. While looking on her phone she accidentally calls her daughter and they start talking about their tube experience and how they were being photographed! She then tells us to stand together for a photo so she can send it to her daughter.

After our exchange, we say goodbye, thankful for the help from my friend and I. Linda and Tom now have their directions and head towards the right platform... and to their hotel.

Thank you Tom and Linda for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 55/100 /  by Michael Pung

It is night time in the middle of Chinatown and I am with a friend looking for strangers to complete my project. I spot a man exiting a restaurant with his friend. He is wearing an oversized shirt which has money prints on the sleeves, a black-leather backpack, black spectacles and a blue bowler's hat - tilted to the right. A statement is made.

His name is Reine who flew from Stockholm with his friend to visit London to do some shopping. He tells me that he is a tailor for H&M and gives me his business card. They are looking for a place to eat, somewhere cheap yet tasty. They argue over the one they just exited. His friend asserts that this one looks good, but he replies saying that he prefers to go to a place where the locals eat. After the shoot, he asks us where to go and we make a few recommendations for places down the road.

Thanks for taking part in the project and hope you found a place to eat Reine!

100 Strangers Project -54/100 /  by Michael Pung

A man is sitting, waiting by himself beside a bus stop to see a friend about a job. He is wearing sunglasses and is dressed in all black. He looks at me with a welcoming acknowledgement and I decide to approach him and tell him about the project.

Sensing the way I spoke he enquires, "Is that a funny thing that Australians do?" 

He introduces himself as William and tells me that usually people don't approach him in the way that I did, saying many are afraid. He knows many people who come from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and he can discern the ways of speaking. He himself is from New York but has been living in London for 14 years. He tells me that he is a martial artist and he teaches a form that incorporates many (I think 7) different types of disciplines. He loves motorbike riding and the movement involves and compares martial arts to it:

"The martial arts is the same, you're using your body in a certain ways. I don't use a lot of kicks, I don't use any fancy shit. It's more about the flow of energy and take an opponent and use their energy against themselves. It's all in the wrist. It's very relaxed and very co-ordinated. It's like a chess game. You set the person up... slowly."

He also explains to me about why he does martial arts:

"The purpose is to understand yourself. It's a transcendent act, it's like playing music. You pick up an instrument and you start tuning it. You start doing more with it, you start to find a new technique so that you can express what you hear and feel in your head. Like Coltrane. Coltrane was about expressing EXACTLY what it was. That's why he went through so much pain to get his sound the way he wanted to."

He tells me how this philosophy flows into his cooking, his music and his mixology. All things that he enjoys doing.

He reveals me about how he likes to spend time studying typography:

"I like typography. That's about making letters. Individual letters in an alphabetical system how they are structured by sound but by look. It gives you fonts like Helvetica, courier that's what it is."

I ask him, "Are you fascinated with just English or other languages as well?"

"Well you know, I'm very into the Katakana the Hiragana from the character based Japanese language and the Chinese. It's all based on the pentagram. So when you start to write..." He then proceeds to show with his hands how to form one of the characters. I notice a connection in this with the martial arts that he practices. "You get a real feel for the letters, it's different from the English system which uses nibs and points where you're actually cutting the paper for the ink to go into. It's like doing a tattoo on someone, you're cutting their skin and the ink goes through. It's a gentle relationship with the paper. So the Japanese and the Chinese they had that gentle relationship. It was the spirit as the movement of the sword. The pen and the sword are very, very intertwined they have the same spirit actually. And when you learn them both your wrists and hands move a certain way."

Thank you for taking part in the project William!