The Museum of Photographic Arts is celebrating the Balboa Park centennial with the U.S. premiere Friday of the global multimedia exhibition 7 billion Others.
The massive work includes video portraits of more than 6,000 individuals from 84 countries. The interviews were conducted in more than 50 languages, and are translated into English and Spanish for San Diego audiences.
“7 billion Others unleashes the collective image of the voices, perspectives and faces of the 7 billion human beings living on this planet and shaping the ever-changing portrait of humanity,” the museum said.
An ambitious multimedia exhibit was chosen, the museum said, because the 1915 Panama-California Exposition had highlighted new technology and experiences.
French filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand wanted to assemble a sensitive, humanist portrait of the world in videos. Starting in 2003, he traveled around the world with a team of 6 videographers recording the voices and images of men and women who share numerous similarities despite their differences.
All answered the same 45 questions on the meaning of life, their dreams, their fears and their joys to share their fundamental human connection.
“When these people are speaking, it’s you talking,” said Arthus-Bertrand at a briefing for press on Friday. “People say some beautiful things.”
He is turning the videos into a movie titled Human that will be released in September.
Museum patrons can watch the interviews in five viewing areas, as well as on computer screens and on a large video projection in the institution’s lobby. The video clips on display will be continually swapped with new ones. In an interactive area, visitors can leave their own answers to the 45 questions.
The exhibit is a project of the GoodPlanet Foundation and supported by the French bank BNP Paribas. It will be on display through Sept. 13.
