Kickstarter

Projet En Vue unseen & unheard

What are we doing

We are walking around Oakland with a camera and a voice recorder, interviewing the citizens of Oakland. Our conversations range from five to thirty minutes and don’t have any particular theme. Our goal is to paint a portrait of them as an individual. We want to know where they came from, what they are most proud of, where they see themselves in ten years, and what they are most passionate about, among other things.

Why are we doing it

In this era of advanced technology, we are increasingly connected to a global network of people, yet we are losing our connection to those closest to us. Because of this, we are becoming increasingly isolated from our own humanity. The simple mission of Projet En Vue is to bring people together with different perspectives and life experiences in order to create a greater narrative of community as well as what it means to be human in the modern world.

What we hope to accomplish

Our goal is to create fifty in-depth, intimate portraits of Oakland residents through audio interviews and 35mm photography. These portraits will be featured on our website but we plan to self-publish a full-color photo book in order to have a tangible manifestation of our project. The books will be printed locally using sustainable materials. Our book will help to change Oakland's reputation and will create a sense of pride among Oakland residents.

 

How You Can Help

In order to realize our goals, we need your financial support. Your money will go to the initial production costs of our book. Our book will be printed a local print shop that uses 100% recycled papers using soy-based, zero-VOC cmyk inks (no animal parts) and recycled black ink, plus animal-free book binding.

If we surpass our goal we will be able to take our project to galleries, schools, and community centers in Oakland to engage more people in our project. These exhibitions will feature beautiful prints of the photos from our project along with interactive audio installations.

We will also be able to become a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which will allow us to expand our ever-growing network of volunteers and participants. 

Help us realize our dream of a beautiful full-color photo book written by, for, and about Oakland residents. Donate to our campaign now!

Who we are

We are a photographer and an oral historian living in Oakland, CA. Oakland is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse communities in America, and yet outsiders are mostly familiar with it due to its reputation for being poor, dangerous, and violent.