Outernational recap
Had a great photo event (dubbed ‘Outernational’) last night with fellow members of Metro Collective. It was part of FotoweekDC, we took over the upstairs space at Local 16, a bar/restaurant on U Street.
I was frankly a bit surprised (pleasantly) by the turnout, we must have had nearly 100 people there, many standing throughout. The four DC-based members of Metro showed multimedia slideshows of our documentary work and had short discussion between segments, with our friend Andre Kravchenko from Mondano as host. Simple format of course, but it was amazing how good the vibe was and how engaged people were. We used the word Outernational (nicked with permission from our pals over at Thievery Corporation) to convey a sense of beyond borders, embracing what is out there beyond the line of sight.
The whole thing worked on many levels. I think it’s an encouraging model that deals with the question of how to bring photography to people in fresh ways. In this case, you had the cinematic experience of the photos combined with the living-room intimacy of the setting. Unfortunately, that’s a novel concept here in DC, though in many ways it’s the perfect city for such gatherings, there are a lot of internationally-minded people here who are also quite visually literate.
I felt like people were ‘surprised to be surprised’ by the photography; everyone is saturated with images these days, and maybe becoming a bit numb. But this showed if you present good work in the right way, still photography can really pack a resonant punch.
We hope to do more such events, including one we’re planning for next month geared for students, and an open-air rooftop thing next year when the weather permits. Hopefully we can work out a way for our international members to attend as well. Stay tuned!
