FAQ
Q: How many countries were visited to make THE STRING PROJECT ArtPrize collection?
​
A: Five continents were visited: Africa, Europe, America (North,Central and South America), and Asia. People from over 40 countries are represented.
Q:How did you choose the people that were photographed?
​
A: Each portrait has its own unique story. Sometimes we photographed people we were visiting and staying with on our travels, others with people we meet briefly exchanging stories on the street.
Q: Do we speak many different languages?
​
A: We only speak Spanish and English fluently. The concept of THE STRING PROJECT is so simple, yet so profound, that everyone we meet understood it quickly and wanted to take part. With the camera as a tool, general kindness, and nonverbal communication, we were able to communicate the idea quickly and effectively... a smile goes a long way!
Q: How did you visit all of those places, what is your budget?
A: We are budget photographers, own little to nothing, and travel long and slow using local transportation and often times staying in the homes of those we meet. Our budget averaged around $30 a day.
Q: When was the first time that THE STRING PROJECT was exhibited?
​
A: September 19th, 2018 was the first time THE STRING PROJECT was shared with the public. It was exhibited at Devos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan until October 7th, 2018
Q: What is ArtPrize? What and how did you win?
​
A: ArtPrize is one of the largest art competitions in the world and it is held in a three-square-mile district in Grand Rapids, Michigan with over 160 venues and around 1,400 artists participating. During a period of 19 days over 500,000 people attend, making ArtPrize the "most-attended" annual public art event on the planet.
The public casts votes and a selected jury chooses their favorite piece of art in the following categories: 2D, 3D, Installation, and time-based. The project received the Grand Prize award, the Latino Award, and was selected by the public to be the winner of the two-dimensional category. It was the first time in the history of the competition that photography won.
Q:Is it the same string in every photograph?
​
A: YES! We purchased the string in a street market in Guatemala in January of 2018. We visited all the countries
with the string, our cameras, and our backpacks. All of the photos exhibited in ArtPrize were captured in under 6 months.