Photoethnography + Photography
The life of a musician is demanding. Whether it is a street performance in Venice, a solo concerto at the Lincoln Center, or a symphony at the Aspen Music Festival - hours of practice only have a single window of time to communicate the musical message to its variegated audience. What many fail to recognize in music is also the interpersonal communication live performers use: rehearsed, but also dynamic, cues signaling variation. Breathes, looks, and even the most subtle signals pave the way forward. Thus, trust must be established - long before the performers step foot onto the spotlight to face whatever comes their way.
Jamaican Street Vendors do what they can to feed their families. Depending on income from tourists, many walk long routes to set up shop. To be successful, many must put a cap on their desperation - to not appear overly pushy and close the doors on their sole source of income. Nonetheless, their knowledge of the local produce and relationships with each other provide their means of survival.
Safety, communication, coordination, and fun. These four words - in order - describe the role of a person tasked to train students the arduous role of taking care of a horse. Equestrian trainers must build confidence: ensuring improvements are established into patterned behaviors - where a walk becomes a trot and a cantor. Safety is paramount: a single fall from a horse might be fatal. Nonetheless - an equestrian trainer not only builds relations with their students, but empowers them to build empathy with their horses. Dedication to a single horse builds a sense of unbridled attentiveness. Switching horses ensures said empathy does not discriminate. Each lesson introduces a new challenge: never insurmountable - but always a means to grow both rider and horse alike.
Outdoor youth activities coordinators in Colorado are primarily tasked with ensuring the child's safety. Part of this is eradicating fear: careful handling and a bright smile enable children to overcome wilderness activities like rock climbing. The role demands a special form of attentiveness: where children are physically and emotionally observed to ensure they are overcoming the obstacles placed in their way.
Conservational zoologists in Australia have a paradoxical role: they must handle and showcase animals in captivity to exemplify the need to protect the wild. The position demands thorough knowledge and empathy: both with the animals being held and the human visitors. If the animals are mishandled - the is not only unethical, but it also sends the message that said animals equate mere dolls or collectibles. If the knowledge isn't presented in an entertaining fashion, it also fails to build a sense of revolutionary change required from the human visitors: potentially sapping funding and any hope in a successful global change. Conservational Zoologists apply their intensive studies demonstrably: enacting the change they seek by showing others what exactly they should fight to protect.
Museum Gallery Attendants aren't merely somber-faced individuals who scowl at and correct visitors. As seen in Berlin, many of these attendants also exist to ensure the visit is most enjoyable for everyone. By protecting, and - in some cases - even improving upon the presentation of the display - attendants maximize the communicative power the artwork has. Moreover - they are often educated: verbose in the exhibition details and where to find specific pieces and rooms. To be an attendant requires strict focus and a sense of understanding the role's purpose: making the experience the best it can be for as many visitors possible.
