unself-conscious and self-conscious views of the neighbourhood
With the help of recognised community leaders, we identified a group of eleven volunteer women keen to be involved. Many were illiterate; reading and writing not a common part of their lives. I focused on visual methods, cognitive processes and conversation through which the women were invited to observe, photograph, map, draw and talk about their community. Interestingly, those with no literacy skills were the best communicators.Together we pushed towards a common level of communication to identify what was of value.The tool-design process took us through an evolutionary series of steps never before experienced by the women, developing a real awareness, a new vocabulary and a true sense of empowerment. The first step was to establish a baseline perception of their community through their eyes and to share it.We started with a ‘visual path’ exercise, submerging ourselves in the community seeking its identity.We walked the alleys for weeks interacting with the residents gaining their trust and permission to be intrusive.We engaged. I gained access to corners that said so much about women’s lives, but it was their stories that unveiled the meaning of the spaces – their identity.
I handed out disposable cameras, a first for most of the women, and told them to photograph anything they wanted, then photograph good and bad things around them. It was an unself- conscious, untrained look at the community.The first roll of film was all family photos; the second was their house, the muddy alley, the meeting point on the septic tank, maybe a favourite potted plant. By focussing the camera on something and making selective decisions, the women were forced to think about where they were and what was around them.Through the lenses the women framed and objectified their environment (space and behaviours) to identify elements of their lives never consciously ‘seen’ before. We talked about the photos.Through the photographing exercise, women came to understand that their cocoons had both common and divergent elements.Their identity was being defined and a common vocabulary was emerging.
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