Ali and James

After a long and productive day of photography I went to the pub to have drinks with my fellow photogs and saw the two tables outside the bar occupied by complete strangers. While Love Rollercoaster played from James' portable stereo I snapped this picture of two strangers blowing one another a kiss.

I crouched down for a quick interview with Ali and her friend Ellie (who incidently has a blog of her own which has this insanely adorable post in time for V-day. 

J: You weren't will to kiss a stranger at first even when I said it didn't have to be on the lips. You agreed once I said you could blow a kiss. Why is that?

Ali: Because kisses are special.

J: Yea, but why?

Ali: Even when i kiss my mom it is still a love kiss, to physically touch someone with my lips. I am not going to do that with a stranger.

J: Not even kissing to say hello like the Europeans and other cultures do?

Ali: Not even that way.

J: Why do you think we kiss then? Why is it part of our anthropological evolution?

Ali: It is a special physical exchange.

Ellie: It is a non-verbal way to expression emotion either friendship, romantic or familial.

[In retrospect it makes a lot of sense what they are saying and I should follow up these answers with "why is it so special, so reserved? why can't we share this with everyone and be closer?" If anyone wants to tackle this question send in an email or comment.]

J: Tell me about your first kiss or your most recent kiss.

Ali: Do you mean like...

J: It can be any kiss. It's a big open-ended question. I love those.

Ali: I love that I can kiss my mom. We don't live in the same area and when we do it is always so...casual...never a big deal, but it is only because we are so close that we can feel that way. She is the person I am most connected to. 

J: And this gets back to the beginning of our conversation, what you are saying is that it is not possible to be "casual" with a stranger. I get that.

Ellie: My first kiss was when I was 16 and it was with a guy who was one of my best friends. I had a crush on him also. He was too drunk to remember, but we had a lot more kisses and it improved from there. 

ps. Ali is a painter. If you have a website, send it in. We love to see what our strangers do.

x

-j

kissingstrange.blogspot.com

kissingstange.com

Because we're all family.

Various Artists - A Party of Special Things To Do

UPDATED: Become a "fan" of the project on Facebook. 

ps. you Divinity School kids know how to throw down.

It was an incredibly productive night for Kissing Strange. As was pointed out in the comments, Alexis and I seem to be playing to our comfort zone at this moment. This seems true to a certain extent as most of the people kissing, especially in this set, are the same age. Physical attributes like Age, Beauty and Ethnicity are the "instant gratification" aspects of meeting a stranger, beyond that it's anybody's guess. On the surface it may appear that we are making the obvious connections, if you look behind the curtain there is something altogether different.

I did an interview with Matt Brandau (married) who refused to be photographed.

J: Why won't you kiss somebody? It doesn't have to be on the lips. 

Matt: It is simply not okay. Cheating is defined by the significant other and until you get the okay...don't do it.

J: Even blowing a kiss to someone in a photo?

Matt: Well, what does that mean to an outside observer? Blowing a kiss to me is like love. 

J: But not all kisses mean love. I see what you are saying though, it is going to depend on the person. What does a kiss mean to you?

Matt: A kiss is a symbol of love and affection. It is something personal and sensitive - and it can be passionate- but it should be reserved for the person you are "with."

J: How about the person you are with, tell me about your first kiss with her or your first kiss ever.

Matt: You are going to love this. I was 12, playing spin the bottle and [laughs] she totally dissed me. I was a 12 year old boy and she was a 12 year old girl which means we were like 10 years apart. The bottle landed on us and I leaned in for a peck and then there was more than just a peck. She said to me "Damn you don't know how to kiss...I gotta teach you." 18 years later and we are married.

Matt and his band The Old Ceremony are playing Cat's Cradle on Valentine's Day.

You can see the big versions on My Flickr

Valeria and Dan

Dan: I got sprayed with beer and then I got to kiss a pretty girl. Not a bad night. 

Warren and Aleksandra

Warren: I'm gay, but you are beautiful. I will definitely kiss you. 

Nicole and Julie

J [to Julie]: I know you asked me to find a boy...

Jeanie and Bobby (blogspot)

.

Jeanie: I'm engaged, but you have been making me dance.

Ashley and Julian

Julian: Let me see the [first] photo. No no no. We have to do that again. 

Amy and Nathan

 

J [to Amy]: ...It doesn't have to be on the lips, it could be an air kiss, kiss on the forehead, eskimo kiss...

Friends: ESKIMO KISS!!! [Amy is from Alaska]

Amy: Okay. Eskimo kiss.

*Party Erupts*

Send us your thoughts. kissingstrange@gmail.com

x

-j

kissingstrange.blogspot.com

www.kissingstrange.com

Because we're all family

Lisa and Adam

This is my first photographic contribution to Kissing Strange and it is, without a doubt, perfect. A milestone for the project. The first image of many. If the enthusiasm I felt from the first group of subjects is any indication, this project will be a huge success. I am sure there will be down moments, but right now I am soaring.

Lisa (Student) and Adam (Army)

view flickr

I talked to some of Adam's friends who were incredibly supportive and interested in the project and I asked them the "big" open-ended question....What does a kiss mean to you?

In one way or another it is a connection. Be it friends or foes...I've kissed enemies, but ultimately it is about connecting. -Andria L. 

Short interview 01-26-09/Bull McCabe's Irish Pub (Durham, NC)

JC: Tell me about your first kiss.

Lisa P. [Beaming] I was 18 and in the UK in a town near Cambridge at the School of English. There was this guy from Barcelona - [Lisa herself is from Spain] - in the class and we started flirting and on one night, with a full moon and stars everywhere in a garden by the manor house we started kissing slow at first and then more and more and more and more and it was great. I am still friends with him.

JC: How about you, Adam, when was your first kiss and what was it like?

Adam M. [Red in the face and being teased by his friends a little]. I was twelve, no, 13, and her name was...what was her name?...Leah! We were hanging out at church and we snuck off to the back room and made out for a while. It was sweet. 

I am hoping that once Alexis and I hit our stride with this projects and the venue is suitable, we can get more extensive interviews, but even short ones seem to tell the tale -- an intensely private and important moment in their lives, one they have not probably thought about in years. In some respects I did not need their answers, their fidgeting and almost electrified body language was more than enough.

To reiterate what Alexis wrote in her last blog post: To all of you, I am moved and extremely grateful. Keep spreading the word and if you or anyone you know would like to participate by being on camera, please reach out. J and I are on the boundary-breaking hotline. We can be found by clicking our pictures below the About This Project box to the right, or you can just email us at kissingstrange@gmail.com.

x

-j

kissingstrange.blogspot.com

Because we're all family