UPDATE: If we make it to 10K the project is Province-wide and 15K it will be Canada-wide!
The INTERLOVE Project follows last year’s very successful Indiegogo crowd-funded Cosmopolis Toronto project, whereby I photographed people from every country in the world who now call Toronto home. The project was featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Globe and Mail and on CBC's The National. I was even lucky enough to speak about it at TEDxToronto 2014.
While Cosmopolis Toronto, was effective at exploring the individual stories that make up diversity, I want to look deeper at the diversity of relationships that exist here in Canada - specifically interfaith relationships.
With $5,000 the project will stay in the GTA, with $10,000 it can be Ontario wide, BUT if we reach $15,000, I will travel the country with my camera to showcase the diversity of the interfaith relationships that exist. 100 percent of these funds will go to the completion of this project and subsequent promotion/ display of it.
Five moving examples are already available at interloveproject.com. Telling these five couples’ stories and the public's response made it very clear that the project's impact can be powerful. It was an emotional experience for both myself and the participants involved. I hope to complete at least 95 more stories.
For each couple I take a portrait of them expressing their affection in a way that seems natural in a location where they both feel comfortable.
Here is Calder and Zalman:
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This is Annie and Sunder:
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The second and third portraits are of each participant looking into the eyes of their lover. Here is Craig and Amanda:
This is Heather and Jordan:
These three photographs of each couple are complemented by a story of how they identify their respective faiths, how they met, and the challenges they have faced/ face due to their differing faiths (if any), and finally how they manage to overcome these and -- love.
“We have created extreme moments of joy and celebration when we engage in our differences" - Calder & Zalman
“We both did not rush into this decision, we spent time talking through our differences, focusing on our similarities and learning about each other’s culture” - Sahar & Alvaro
This project will surely inspire important dialogue. This is crucial. In many countries around the world, it is not safe to have interfaith relationships, and in many the topic is not open for discussion.
“Canada is a space where love is happening in complex situations and these stories need to be told”
A project like this has never been done.
Many photographers like have captured interracial relationships, but this would be the first large-scale documentary project on interfaith relationships - and Canada is the perfect place to do it.
In a world where we are often bombarded by stories of hate, it is important to tell authentic stories of love.
JOIN ME! :)
You can help in 3 ways!
1. Please check out the following perks and contribute what you can!
2. Share the project with friends, family, and any organizations you think would be interested in it.
3. If you or someone you know is interested in participating please fill out the application form here: http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/colin-b-shafer/interlove/
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Colin Boyd Shafer is a Canadian documentary photographer. His most recent project, Cosmopolis Toronto won the 2014 Toronto Urban Photography Festival and he presented on it at TEDxToronto 2014. It has been featured widely in the media, including The Globe and Mail, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic as well as on TFO, CTV, CBC and Global National News channels. Shafer won the 2013 Human Rights Watch Film Festival’s Photography Competition in London, UK and his work has been widely published in publications like Doc!, F-Stop and Foto8 Magazine.
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