George Ferrandi (on the right) is an artist living in Brooklyn.
"I Felt Like I Knew You" is a project she's been working on since 2012, the premise being she puts her head on the shoulders of strangers in the subway...
...And films the reaction.
I ride the NYC subway trains, usually in the evening when the seats are full. I focus on the shape of the space between the person sitting next to me and myself. I attempt to mentally and emotionally re-sculpt that space. In my mind, I reshape it- from the stiff and guarded space between strangers to the soft and yielding space between friends. I direct all my energy to this space between us. When the space palpably changes, and I completely feel like the stranger sitting next to me is my friend, I rest my head on that person's shoulder…
She's shot about a dozen of these little accidental interactions and has no plans to end the project, although she hasn't shot one in a while.
If Ferrandi is feeling genuinely close to one of the subjects she'd try and interact with them.
Interestingly, it's always the person she's leaning on who determines how long she'll rest her head on their shoulder.
