Web Draait Door: Humans of New York in Amsterdam

Brandon Stanton, het brein achter Humans of New York, is een Amerikaanse fotograaf en blogger. Sinds 2010 verzamelt hij honderden portretten van gewone mensen op straat. De foto’s zijn verzegeld met emotionele en persoonlijke verhalen. In 2015 kwam Stanton voor het eerst naar Europa om verhalen van de mensen uit de enorme vluchtelingenstroom vast te leggen. 

Het concept van Stanton is inmiddels zo bekend dat er in verschillende steden in Nederland al parodieën van zijn gemaakt. Bekijk hier de Humans van Leiden, Eindhoven, Den Haag en Leeuwarden.

"Mijn hele familie was fan van Feyenoord, dus als eigenwijs kind moest ik natuurlijk wel voor Ajax gaan. Goede keuze, want ze gaan winnen dit jaar! Tegenwoordig werk ik als hovenier. Hard werken voor weinig, maar nooit chagrijnig!"

"Today I am helping my grandfather at the family business. It's been recycling metal since 1910. Whereas the first generation visited houses with the handcart to collect rags and old metals, we are now in business all over the world. In the background you see old rails that are chopped into pieces with a machine. The metal will be recycled afterwards. Every year my family processes around 80.000 tons of scrap iron!"

‘Als u iets over mij wil weten…ik heb een boekje geschreven. Daarin ben ik zelf niet de hoofdpersoon, de hoofdpersonen zijn een paar Colombianas en Dominicanas die hier in Nederland gewerkt hebben. Om de avonturen met die dames goed te kunnen beschrijven, heb ik ook wat persoonlijke informatie gegeven. Ik verkoop het boekje voor vijf euro, en ik heb er één bij me … Als u interesse hebt … Ik kon er geen uitgever voor vinden en heb het zelf laten uitbrengen. ‘Calle de Soledad’ heet het. Het internet is een goede plek om boeiende informatie te vinden, maar daardoor lezen mensen nauwelijks nog. Het boekje verkoopt dan ook niet zo hard.’

'Mijn vader heeft een nieuwe polo gekocht, maar ik vind de polo eigenlijk helemaal niet zo mooi.''

Brandon Stanton is een inspiratiebron voor meerdere fotografen uit verschillende steden in ons land. Maar dit keer is Stanton zelf gaan fotograferen in Nederland. Op zijn Instagrampagina staat al twee portretten uit Amsterdam. Misschien ben jij wel de volgende die hem tegenkomt...

“He’d taken charge of so much during our relationship. He was twelve years older than me, so he made all the decisions: where to go, what to eat, what we were going to buy. He didn’t even like me working. So when he died my life was a mess-- literally. I wasn’t quite a hoarder, but close. There was laundry everywhere. The couch was covered with worn shirts. You couldn’t even find a spoon on the table. I couldn’t stand it, so I left it all behind. I travelled for two years, living off the life insurance, running from misery. But I kept losing my passport. Over and over again. It infuriated me. And that’s how I finally became orderly. By getting so angry that I couldn’t take it anymore. I began with my luggage. I organized everything. I made a place for my papers and keys. Oh, it felt good. I loved it. I could finally relax. To be organized is to be at rest. You should see my home now! It’s immaculate. Everything has a place. All the clothes are put away. I actually use a catalogue to fold them so they’re all the same size. I love every little detail. Organizing has become my art. It’s how I express myself. In February I’m going to the butler academy. It’s a lottery ticket. It’s my dream job. I want to live in a beautiful house, together with a family, and take care of them. I want to take away all the chaos in their life. To order things. To arrange things. To be the one who always has the passports.” (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

“I’m seventeen. I’m doing my best to convince myself that we’re all beautiful in our own way, but it’s not so easy. I look at all the pretty things my friends have: their bodies, their lips, how they wear their hair, or their make-up-- even their personalities. Some have such pretty personalities. I wish I could be one of those people who laugh and talk for hours without stopping. Instead I just hide in the back of class and try not to draw attention to myself. I wear baggy clothes. Anything not to be noticed. But I’m trying to change. I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone. I’m searching for plus-sized models online. Women who are bigger, but still confident and beautiful. I’m wearing less black. I never used to wear colors because they emphasize your curves. But now I’m wearing colors. I even wore a dress recently. Not to school, of course, but to dinner with my grandparents. It was blue and had white flowers. My dream is to eventually go to the beach. The water was such an important part of my childhood. My grandparents had a little beach house and we’d go every summer. But I haven’t been to a beach in over five years. Well, I did go once. But I sat on the shore, and watched everyone’s stuff, and took their photos for Instagram. Next time I’d like to actually go in the water. Wearing a swimsuit. If I can do that, and have the time of my life, and feel that I’m allowed to show myself-- my insides and my outsides—then I’ll know I’m finally where I want to be.” (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)