Hello World!
The refreshing welcome found in strange places + a brief re-intro
Living in a predominantly French society has ruined my English brain. For example the prior sentence started in passive voice, but so many French phrases begin this way, gently meandering towards the point like a post-lunch stroll.
With that, hello, world. 👋
I’ve been living in Paris for almost two years, simultaneously reeling at my good fortune and fighting for my daily existence against a new barrage of inquietudes. Both incontestably at home here and forever a stranger, I am somewhere between lives without fully giving over to one existence. I continue squeezing two languages between my brain with some measure of success.
“After I’m settled” has become my mantra and inevitable delay. The rest of the world defines security by different metrics, enough that almost two years later I take up the daunting task of permanent housing. My American friends clutch their pearls, but the rest of the world shrugs indifferently. C’est la vie, they sigh. It was from this position that I sought to find myself a place during the Olympics.
Paris is full of strangers, even those living here prefer a level of distance between themselves and the typical cast of characters. While the distance is a form of respect, this can feel isolating over time. The French word étranger is synonymous with foreigner. How does one feel welcome here? I wonder as I enter the café and the barista greets me by name, occasionally handing me a free cookie. “It was broken anyway,” he defers every time. Any complaint about American tourists ends in “but not Danielle, she is different” said so I can hear it, which endlessly embarrasses me. He honors me because I observe beyond what my origins would assume. Such is the French compliment and sense of place.
Hello World is an augmented reality photo project used to welcome visitors to Paris during the Games. It was an idea born of my own lack of place and desire to welcome people. Paris is a cosmopolitan city pocked with smaller global communities. There are many doors to these communities, often barred by language or concerns about assimilation. Hello World creates a window into the cultural similarities of greeting and cuisine, drawing parallels between our shared global values.
The etymology behind some of these greetings proved fascinating. Despite sharing Arabic, the featured Arab countries used Peace, Health, and Welcome to express warmth. Even within the language exist multiple levels of greeting based on closeness. “As it is today” is the literal translation of konnichiwa, the acknowledgement of the environment in which you meet someone. Your presence within this scene is inferred rather than explicitly stated.
To my immense surprise, Paris was the perfect backdrop for this concept. While internally France prides itself on a homogenous culture, there were endless colorful backgrounds to choose from. The Olympic houses, a French invention during the pandemic 2020 Games, gave each country a place to demonstrate their national pride and culture. I visited several as an ambassador of this project, even made some short trips to the edges of France where everyone is French with a sprinkle of Something Else. The country, while not as diverse as the US, has its own range.
I believe the same is true of everywhere: there is always an alien amongst us, there is nothing a hot meal cannot cure, and there is always a sweet to dislodge bitter news. Is this world peace? No, but it is a sliver of unity, one I will always select on a menu.
I created tasteful stickers with my info and qr code on them. Of course I slapped one on the large bean canister at the café, and there it has remained. I watched the cafe management began to remove it, pause, and reconsider that the world was marginally better with Salut, world ! emblazoned on the tub. Maybe someday they’ll see for themselves.
The Analytics: 20 images, 19 countries, 17 languages represented. 2 videos in French and English. 2 months of building and shooting, 3 weeks of prototyping a browser-less AR experience. 8 women of color and 1 patisserie chef boyfriend were consulted in the process of this project. Their gifts spanned language, design, video, styling, and marketing. They were all the best options for the job. This project is nothing if not a prototype, or a morsel of hope. There are still sacred places that cannot be spoiled.
To see more or try it yourself, visit my website.