On the project’s message

So far, we’ve been to 16 countries and it’s the same chair in every photograph. If you see it at the top of a mountain or in the middle of the Sahara Desert, it’s actually there.  We pride ourselves on telling these authentic stories. It’d be a lot easier to Photoshop the chair into these photos, but there’s something about the actual journey that shows in the photographs and reflects the stories of the people that we’ve met along the way. 

For example, 2022 is the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Thailand, so in April, we did an exhibition in Bangkok where we would show a photograph of our chair in a forest in British Columbia, and also a picture of the same chair in a forest in southern Thailand. Both the forests are coniferous and share common characteristics but what we thought was so beautiful about this exhibit was that when you looked at the two forests with the same chair in both, you start to realize just one example of how we’re more connected as human beings than people might think.

It’s not just in the case of landscapes either; through this series, whether it’s geology or people, we’re able to demonstrate our similarities and how we all want the same things. It doesn’t matter what colour our skin is or what language we speak; it’s really about recognizing at a heart level that there’s a human connection that binds us all together. I believe if we would focus a little more on that, the world would be a much better place. 

On the meaning of the chair 

The project uses a director’s chair for a reason. It’s meant to symbolize that you are the director of your life and you have the ability to impact the world around you. We knew when we started the project that we wanted a symbol but we weren’t quite sure what that was going to be. However, my degree is in film and so the director’s chair naturally arose from that background. It’s also an important symbol since, despite coming from various backgrounds, all the people in the photos are connected by this one piece of furniture. When you first see it, you’re probably wondering why the chair is in that photograph, but that’s what we want. We want you to start that conversation by asking that question. 

On getting the perfect shot

We were in Morocco in April of this year, in the middle of the Sahara Desert, and at 4:30 in the morning, we got up with our camels and our guide and by the light of a full moon we started walking. We had to walk quite a few hours, but eventually we found what we thought would be a perfect spot and put the chair in place. The camel and our guide both decided to take a nap, but we just kept waiting and waiting and ended up with a stellar shot. 

For us, it’s a bit different than pulling out your phone and getting a good picture, since before we can take a great photo we have to creatively place that chair in that shot. This means the lighting may be beautiful for a sunset, but not so beautiful where you have placed the chair. It takes a lot of planning and luck to get that chair in exactly the right place. We also have to carry the chair, plus all of our camera gear and any supplies that we need, like water, food, and clothes, so it can be a bit of a trek.