100 Strangers Project - 39/100 /  by Michael Pung

So while I was on the photowalk back in Hackney Wick I noticed that there was a photographer taking photos with a twin reflex camera. She was exploring the area just like I was in the group and decided to approach her. Little did I know, she was also in the group too! (We had a big group and I hadn't met everyone yet at this point) 

Natalie was quite happy to have her photograph taken and I asked her about her camera. This was the first time that I've been shown how to use a camera like the one she had. The viewfinder was big and bright though the view is flipped the other way around so composing shots can be challenging...

We then got talking about Humans of New York and I told her about how Brandon Stanton delves deeply into conversations with his subjects. So I asked: What was the saddest moment of your life?

"Probably when my grandmother passed away. She was someone who I spent a lot of my childhood with and was quite intrinsic in my growing up. She developed Parkinson's and dementia so it was a long and slow decline and the thing that was so hard about that was to see how my mum reacted to that. To see how her mother declined and how she remained strong for us and to not seem that anything would bother her. While still internalising her own sadness."

She spoke about how her mother was doing the best she could to help her grandmother out even though the situation wasn't great.

"It brought us closer together as a family because you recognise that something's there and something's affecting someone and then you try to support each other more substantially because of that."

I also discovered that she hasn't seen her mother for a long time and that she actually comes from Perth, Australia on her final two months of her working holiday visa.

Thank you for taking part in the project Natalie!

100 Strangers Project - 38/100 /  by Michael Pung

I was out on a photowalk with a group of photographers in Hackney Wick. We were walking by the canals, the sun was shining, it was hot (at least for London standards). All of a sudden, we heard hip hop music blaring out from behind us. It man on a bike with a bandanna around his neck, a graphic t-shirt and a portable speaker. He rode past the group and began mounting his bike on a pole nearby. 

I approached him about taking his photo and he happily agreed.

G-Boy is a writer and a photographer. He is heavily into the art scene around London and came along to take photos of the newly completed mural on one of the walls. We were talking for a little while about what he does and he also showed me his Instagram page showing me how often that mural changes. He loves the scene.

Thank you G-Boy for taking part in the project!

100 Strangers Project - 37/100 /  by Michael Pung

I was walking out from Stratford station when a man called out to me and asked if I wanted to take a photo of him after he noticed my camera.  He was sitting on the pavement with his poetry laid out in front of him written on the inside of pizza boxes.  

From the outset, Tom was very engaging and was happy to chat. He told me that he finds satisfaction whenever people stop to read his poetry. He was inspired by the street, the people and the interactions that he experienced on a daily basis.

He currently lives in a home which houses 40 people and has made some good friends who he has lived with for the last 4 years. 

"We've been quite lucky recently like in the last year and a half where the building is quite stable."

"There was a period about two years ago where I was moving at around two weeks, three weeks, a month, constantly moving, constantly moving, constantly moving, constantly getting bailiffs woken up by security with dogs and stuff like that, violent police evictions... I got woken up once with 200 riot policemen, broke down the door and the whole street was blocked off. It was on the news! It's crazy, it's crazy."

"We try to negotiate with the owners all the time, we try and talk to them. A vast majority of the buildings that I've been kicked out of, as soon as I've been kicked out they've remained empty for years afterwards. Sitting doing nothing. Public buildings like the school, there was a school we squatted, we tried to talk to them about it, if we could do a community project like gardening and stuff like that.. and they were like, they just wouldn't talk to us, they didn't see us as like responsible people. We went to them to talk to them. And then, they kicked us out and now they are paying private security to guard that building. For thousands and thousands of pounds when people looked after their building for free. They don't think outside the box. They don't see you as a person. They think more for themselves. You got a lot of vulnerable people in there as well, like all you got to do is you gotta force these people on the street. Make them homeless. Make them what? Like force them on to sleeping out in the cold. I had a friend who died in the cold, it's fucking disgusting, especially in the winter. I was doing this thing called the Street's Kitchen in the middle of Trafalgar Square and I was feeding people. And I slept out in Trafalgar Square, you cannot believe how cold it is. A guy who has cerebal palsy, he was seriously disabled. Left on the street. Girls 17 years old vulnerable. No one cares about these people." 

He said that there should be more people who should question the issues surrounding people who are underprivileged, and also for other social issues. Despite the challenges he has encountered and so far in his life and for the others around him, he feels free.

Thank you Tom for taking part in the project and sharing your story!

100 Strangers Project - 36/100 /  by Michael Pung

I bumped into Emily who was heading on her way from a shop in Dalston. I complimented her on her top and asked where she got it from. She took a moment to think about it and said that it must have been from a store in Norwich, since the good clothes from thrift stores in London are harder to come by.  I asked her about some tips for thrift shopping and she said that you should take your time shopping- she often spends hours in the stores she visits.

Emily describes herself as quirky and geeky and is into gadgets, tech, graphic design and app making. 

Thank you for taking part in the project Emily!

100 Strangers Project - 35/100 /  by Michael Pung

I met Ben on a walk in one of the back streets of east London near the canals.  When he asked me why I approached him, I replied saying that his look caught my eye and that I HAD to take a few shots.  

Ben is from Stockholm and is here in London to pursue a career in music.  When I caught him, he had just finished a recording session and was heading off to run some errands.  Due to his style, I asked him if he gets approached often, he replied that it has happened a couple of times before, though he said it's always nice to meet new people.  

"I like it when people approach me, it's different in Sweden."  

Thank you for taking part in the project Ben!

100 Strangers Project - 34/100 /  by Michael Pung

I met Kany on a chill afternoon near Tower Bridge where she was outside having a quick break from her work.  She loves studying and goes to university to study Economics.  "I love the history of it, like learning about things like market crashes."  

Kany is from North West London and once she finishes her degree she will pursue something in the finance industry.  

Thank you Kany for taking part and I hope you enjoy the photos!

Christmas Time at the Mcmansion /  by Michael Pung

Twas a night before Christmas and we made it Oxford,

We strolled to a church, where they worship the Lord,

Presents were had the next day, we shared the love,

And waited for HOURS over a stove,

Pot-fulls of deliciousness filled our bellies,

Although later on we needed our wellies,

All in all we had a good time,

With friends, with love and a little bit of wine.


100 Strangers Project - 33/100 /  by Michael Pung

I met a jeweler named Eddy while waiting for my housemate to choose a piece of jewelry for her work Christmas party.  His store is a tapestry of his wonderful creations ranging from necklaces made of toy teeth, to earrings of lego and handbags with model dinosaurs superimposed onto them.  

Eddy started life in Bangkok and then moved to New Zealand before finally coming to London where he hopes to gain citizenship.  He said that he wants to pass his IELTs exam to help him gain citizenship and as an added incentive; his good friend has offered to pay for a trip back to Thailand if he succeeds. 

About his creations he proudly says, "Everything I make I put my heart into it."

Thank you for taking part in the project Eddy!

Eddie's store can be found on his Facebook Page Bitsch Kitsch