Bastart incontra Umani a Milano

In principio era Humans of New York, poi vennero gli altri: Humans of Paris, Rome, London, Helsinki, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Karachi, Khartoum, Mosca, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Fiji Islands… In poco più di 2 anni, la mappa mondiale degli Humans era compiuta. L’unica che ne restava fuori – intatta ed immune al nuovo fenomeno social – era Milano, con un immaginario “WTF” al posto della bandierina Humans of Milan. Come se i suoi umani non avessero né facce né storie da raccontare. Noi sappiamo, però, che non era vero: ce n’erano tante e bellissime, mancava solo qualcuno che le sapesse ascoltare e raccogliere. E voilà, Bastart riapre la saga degli Humans con un nuovo incontro: Stefano D’Andrea, l’autore del progetto Umani a Milano.

Talking Heads / Gadające głowy (1980)

Ever wondered what Brandon Stanton’s HONY or any other Humans of initiative would have been like, say, in the ‘70s? Krzysztof Kieślowski’s documentary short is one possible scenario. Entitled “Talking Heads” rather than “Humans of Poland”, but the concept remains the same.

Bastart meets Humans of Paris

When you’re 16, the world is at your reach. When you’re 16 and live in Paris, you know its people, streets and secrets a whole lot better than Google and Wikipedia put together. What you do next, is setting up a project – photography + short stories – to share that beauty with the others. Marco Hazan and Eytan Levi are two Parisian teenagers who one day wrote to Brandon Stanton, got his “Ok” and on the next morning, launched their own HO: Humans of Paris. Today, they are among the oldest (!) “Humans of” initiatives worldwide and are looking ahead. When you’re 16, nothing can stop you. Ok, the final exams in History and French can suspend you from posting… for a couple of weeks.

Bastart incontra People of London

Storie. Che siano nascoste nelle scarpe o stampate sul sorriso, tutti ne abbiamo almeno una. E i nove milioni di anime di Londra, quante ne avranno..? Il fotografo Roberto Zampino crea “People of London” per indagare l’aspetto più umano e meno riconosciuto della capitale inglese, ciò che ne fa la città multiculturale e multietnica per eccellenza. Raccoglie le storie una dopo l’altra, anzi le preleva con scatti “indolori e veloci”: brevi o lunghe che siano, fanno tutte parte della stessa “polpa” di Londra.

Bastart meets Humans of Karachi

Living Human Treasure, ever heard about such term? Put in very simple words, it is a kind of Oscar that some nations give to their most renowned artisans. Well, after a glimpse to Humans of Karachi, you might well start thinking it is not just “high art” that defines a country’s living treasures. The HO project, launched by photographer Khaula Jamil together with Citizens Archive of Pakistan, brings stories and images of common Karachiites – “resilient survivors with an almost unhealthy passion for their city” – into a photographic census of a touching beauty. Ode to the living human treasures, that’s right.

Bastart meets Humans of Khartoum

Sad or funny, told by young or old – he collects them all. From the banks of the River Nile to the streets of Khartoum. Qusai Akoub launched his project to reveal the spirit of his home city through the stories of its people, and he does it in an amazingly gifted way. “Everyone’s got a story. Listen”, he explains simply but convincingly. Somewhat similarly to the man who collected memories and noises in jars, from Patrick Poubel’s short film “For intérieur”…