San José, Museo Iloilo, Philippines
I have two ideas for a video project. One I've had for a couple of years now, especially after I started shooting young Indiana models. I am meeting with Arron to brainstorm with him. I'd like him to be part of the project, as subject or co-writer or co-photographer. I want to document how young people in America, in this case, small-town Indiana, adopt values, develop and modify them based on personality traits and experience. I am interested in values related to relationships (how do they view intimacy, relationships, family), religion, work and friendship.
Next I want to locate a couple of documentaries in the Philippines. My interest is two-fold, both what I call pre-global. I want to document the disappearing Spanish influence in the islands, especially on church music, religious-cultural holidays and indigenous religious beliefs. Some people urge conservation of natural resources. I think much of culture especially in the smaller countries need to be, if not preserved, documented for people to learn from after they're gone or irreparably changed. I want to document indigenous beliefs that pre-existed Spanish conquest or that appear related to Asian cultures prior to the arrival of Europeans.
I've always been interested in psychology, what motivates individuals, how they see their world and their position in it, and how they go about accumulating experience. My interest has moved from helping individuals change their psychological patterns to documenting and understanding the psychological principles governing societies and cultures. Change is inherent in systems so my ambition is not so much to facilitate it as to understand why and how it occurs.
