Brazilian photographer Cale's photo series 'Seekers' captures the central paradox of big city life, wherein people find themselves in the midst of millions of other people, yet feel lonely and isolated.
The Rio de Janeiro-based photographer effectively captures this conundrum by taking photos of people in dense urban settings and blurring out their faces, so that they literally become faceless and lose their identity, being swallowed and drowned out by the noise and chaos that surrounds them.
The end result is a poignant collection of photos that convey the challenge high-functioning urbanites face in that they must go about their daily grind and think about their careers, whilst ignoring and neglecting their inner, existential lives. The photographs implicitly urge viewers not to let their surroundings overwhelm and usurp their internal selves.
The Brazilian photographer's photos were displayed at the Flash Forward Boston festival.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Urban Isolation
- Opportunities for creating innovative solutions for alleviating urban loneliness and creating better support systems for people in densely populated cities.
- Faceless Identity
- Disruptive opportunities for identity-based services and technologies that enable people to maintain their personal identity in crowded urban environments.
- Mental Health Awareness in Big Cities
- Opportunities for companies and city governments to collaborate on initiatives and services that raise awareness for mental health and well-being in big cities.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Social Networking
- Opportunities for social networking companies to create features that help connect and support lonely urbanites in densely populated cities.
- Identity Verification
- Opportunities for identity verification companies to develop technology solutions that enable people to maintain their personal identity in crowded urban environments while preserving their privacy.
- Mental Health Services
- Opportunities for mental health service providers to collaborate with city governments to create initiatives and programs that support mental health awareness and treatment in densely populated urban areas.
