Haruki Murakami’s “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” is a short story that attempts to articulate the brief but impactful moments shared with strangers. Romantic feelings and prior acquaintance notwithstanding, there is a certain yearning for people to know more about strangers in the middle of the harsh landscape of the city.
Diane Jacinto‘s “Stalking Strangers” photography series is not only a visually affecting piece in itself, but also an attempt to articulate this same yearning for connection. We get to know more about Diane and her work here:
Can I ask what the Stalking Strangers series is about?
Stalking Strangers is about the unspoken stories in the lives of the people around us. As a solo traveler, I find comfort in strangers and in their stories. Through these suspended moments captured through photography, we wonder those stories might be. For a fleeting moment we wonder what kind of people they are, what they do, what they like and dislike. Stalking Strangers is not just about capturing random people in the streets; Stalking Strangers is about seeing these people around us as humans too and that they are not just mere backgrounds in our own lives.
I want them to feel that they’re part of the photographs and of the momentary seconds in the lives of these people.
How did you take an interest in photography?
I think it started when I was in fourth year high school. I wanted to document my last months in high school so I would borrow my family’s digital camera everyday, bring it to school and take photos of my friends, classmates, and whatever I found interesting
What do you want people to feel when they see your photographs?
I want people to feel as if they’re in the same moment that I was in when I captured those photographs, I want them to wonder too. I don’t want them to be mere observers, I want them to feel as if they were really there. I want them to feel that they’re part of the photographs and of the momentary seconds in the lives of these people
Follow Diane on Instagram at @dianejacinto and on Twitter at @aenidha
This story is part of our #SeenOnScout series, which puts the spotlight on young creatives and their body of work. Diane and many other creatives shared their work at our own community hub at Scout Family and Friends. Join the Scout Family & Friends Facebook group right here, and share your work with us in the group or through using #SeenOnScout on Twitter and Instagram.
Interview by Lex Celera