#ittookmesomewhere

i just watched #takemeanywhere.

remember shia labeouf, that goofy-looking kid from even stevens and holes? well, if you don't already know, he's managed to reincarnate himself as a boundary-pushing and controversial performance artist. alex has been absolutely fascinated with his ideas and work for about two years. i haven't super followed it all, but alex shared this #takemeanywhere movie with me and it spoke to us both.

this project was commissioned in 2016 by the boulder museum of contemporary art and the finnish institute in london, and labeouf and two other artists set out on a journey to hitchhike using the internet, getting rides by posting their coordinates via twitter, relying only on the kindness and generosity of others to pick them up. the movie is 45 minutes long, documenting the grand experiments highlights, from project moments of intimacy, fear, vulnerability, joy, and community that came from its conception.

alex was taken with the communal feeling that is definitely quite clear and strong. but what struck me was how ready, willing, and even excited people were to get the chance to tell their stories. you're probably thinking "well duh, we all want space to share and we all deserve the space to share all the time" - and i agree, but i feel like that rarely happens. this video is such a democratic share - you can tell that throughout the project, the three artists listened to and engaged with everyone that wanted to participate. it is a powerful reminder that there is space in this world for everyone to share their story, because what gives anything meaning is connection and being able to learn from each other's experiences. when you see the way shia interacts, he is truly absorbing people's experiences. not only that, but he challenges them to think about their story in a new or different light, which i think is so powerful. when someone goes through a painful or traumatic experience we may listen, but how often to we really engage with them on a deeper level about it? probably not often, because we are scared to offend, or to hurt. but he does it in such a way that it feels almost helpful or renewing. most of the people that shared their stories did not share tales of happiness or ease. most stories were filled with hardship, trial, and pain. but people chose to share anyway.

i think by definition, people coming together and sharing is a community experience - so alex isn't wrong to be struck by that aspect of the film. but it's deeper than people just sharing an experience together. it's people enriching each other's lives by sharing and listening, and holding space for each other. this movie demonstrates how healing an experience this can be when strangers come together. it reminds us of the value of human connection in a time when we are so absorbed in anything other than respectfully engaging with each other, face to face. i think we could all make a conscious effort to connect and engage more frequently with the people that surround us.

alex went to la columbe yesterday, and he told me about his interaction with the barista. they have a fancy new ipad register, and alex commented about it. the barista made a joke that soon they'd all be replaced by robots anyway, and alex just said "well i don't have anything positive to say about that so i'll just shake your hand instead" and they laughed and shook hands. valuable and enriching interactions don't have to be huge investments - you just have to be open, and they will come.

here is the link to the movie. you don't have to watch people be good to each other on a screen - you can easily do this for strangers in your community any time, anywhere. how good would the world be if these kinds of interactions were everywhere?