Brooklyn Documentarian Encourages People To Talk About Their Changing 'Coronavirus Lives' As Part Of An Interactive Audio Project

Back in 2012, Pardon Me For Asking introduced  its readers to Jamie Courville, a Carroll Gardens/ Gowanus transplant from Texas.  At the time, Jamie was working on a series of audio portraits that are deeply moving and inspirational. "Audio portraits in the first person are an effective way to inform, educate, inspire and let people know they are not alone," she explained to us.

We recently spoke with Jamie, who introduced us to another audio project that she has been working on.  She writes:

"In November 2011, I started an “anonymous” interactive audio project called ListenBeHeard. I would post questions and invite people to call in and leave voice messages with an answer. The line was also open for anyone to vent about anything at any time. I decided it is time to dust off the project. 

Things are changing fast out there. I want people to call in and leave an anonymous (or not) message talking about the coronavirus. What is your life like now? What has changed in the last week? What is coming? What are you nervous about? What is overblown? I will collect and share the voicemails from time to time. I think it is important to have a record of this. Plus, it is cathartic to call. More info on my in-progress website here.

My work tends to focus on people going through life-changing or difficult circumstances, and often tries to make the world a less lonely place. If this doesn’t fit that bill I don’t know what does.

I think it is time to dust this project off. The new number is (516) 595-9365. Please participate. To do so, call or email a voice memo to listenbeheard@gmail.com. That number is just for you. Nobody will ever answer that line and you never have to say your name. If you call the number, pick a place where you have the best phone reception possible.

Anyone have a guess on the first topic? Anyone?

What are you thinking about COVID-19? What is going on with the coronavirus?"

Please consider participating. Expressing ourselves on this topic may help relieve some stress. Besides, we all know we are all sitting at home with plenty of time on our hands.

Just as an aside, Jamie and her husband Chris Reynolds have been working on Gowanus Current for the past few years. Gowanus Current is documentary "chronicling rapid changes to a notoriously polluted neighborhood in Brooklyn. It explores the struggles of its stakeholders and the textures of a transforming landscape, asking what is truly valuable in a community."

To make a tax-deductible donation to help keep Gowanus Current going, please click here.

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Gowanus Current: Hello, My Name Is ….. And My Vision Of The Future Of The Gowanus Is…...

There is no doubt that Gowanus is a neighborhood that will face tremendous changes in the next decade. What the future will bring for this historic industrial neighborhood is of yet uncertain, but there is no doubt that developers have already laid claim to the area. All that stands in their way is an overall rezoning that will allow residential development.  What that would mean for Gowanus is likely to resemble the 12-story, 700-unit Lightsone Group development that is currently moving ahead on two blocks adjacent to the canal.  The site, located between Carroll Street and Second Street at Bond Street had been granted a spot-rezoning from manufacturing to mixed use by the City Of New York back in 2009.

But how do the people who live and work in the area envision the future of Gowanus?
Gowanus Current, a documentary project by Jamie Courville and Chris Reynolds gives a voice to residents of the area and focuses on "development, diversity, and what makes a neighborhood."
At the recent TedX Gowanus conference, Courville and Reynolds recorded people's vision of the future of the neighborhood. Take a listen to the stories here.

Over the course of a year, Courville and Reynolds will continue to follow the changes in Gowanus. The result will no doubt be fascinating.

How would you answer the question "Hello, My Name Is--------- And My Vision Of The Future Of The Gowanus Is……" If you live or work in the neighborhood and would like to share your thoughts , please click here.

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"Squirrels Stories": Jamie Courville, A Gowanus Transplant From Texas, Creates Audio Portraits Of People Living With Cancer

To Jamie Courville, a Gowanus transplant from Texas, nothing is more powerful than the human voice, because "the voice goes straight to the heart and reaches people in a universal way."
Recently, she has been recording people while they tell their very unique, deeply personal stories. The resulting audio portraits create an intimate glimpse into their lives that is both moving and inspiring.

In the last few weeks, Jamie has turned her attention to creating online audio portraits of people talking about living with cancer, which she entitled "Squirrels Stories".
She writes:

I have started a new project to put a face on a disease that has impacted all of our lives. A linguist told me Squirrels is the hardest word in the English language to say. I am producing a collection of stories about things that are difficult to talk about called Squirrels Stories. The first group will be audio portraits in the first person and some multimedia pieces of people talking about living with cancer. I want to create an online community where everyone can hear the strengths and hanrdships of individuals facing this disease. A person’s voice cuts right through in a way that nothing else can. It reaches people in a universal way. 

I cannot think of anyone who has not had personal dealings with cancer. It could be you or your parent or your uncle or your friend. My hope is that those who are sick will find comfort in hearing the voice of someone in the same boat, and those who are not will be able to better understand what our friends and family members are confronting. 

So I am doing this. I am excited about it. I hope you are excited too. There is a need for a place where people can have an honest conversation about disease. Nobody should have to face this alone. 

If you know someone living with cancer send them my way. Honestly, people like the process even when it is difficult. Right now, I only have the capacity to record folks in New York City. If you know someone who is sick and would not want to talk please tell them about Squirrels Stories.

Please take some time to listen to these moving stories and let others know about jamie and about the portraits.
You may also want to help Jamie with this project by contributing to her online fundraiser on Indiegogo. You can donate here.

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Meet Jamie Courville: Recording The Voices Seldomly Heard

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.”  from The Secret Life of Bees

In a world dominated by images and the written word,  storytelling is becoming a lost art.  Yet nothing is more powerful than the human voice and the deeply personal stories that we all carry inside us.  Give that voice and those stories a chance to be heard and they have the capability to touch others in a way that images and text cannot.

Jamie Courville, a Gowanus transplant from Texas, has taken the time to listen.  Recently, she began working on a series of audio portraits that are deeply moving and inspirational.  "I record the voices and faces of people seldom heard and strive to get them to places where they will be heard," Courville told me when we met for a cup of coffee.  "The voice goes straight to the heart and reaches people in a universal way."

Courville has recorded some remarkable individuals.  There is the story of  Heidi, who was adopted from Iran and grew up in Virginia.  There is Barry, who makes ukuleles out of cigar boxes, and  Randy, a former crack cocaine dealer, who got caught, went to prison, and turned his life around after he served his sentence.  And of course, there is the story of  Brandon, who contracted HIV and just speaks about the difficulties of taking medication. (Sadly, Brandon passed away earlier this month.)
Deeply honest and intimate, these portraits are a window into their lives.  One admires the courage of the individuals who speak so frankly about themselves.  Perhaps it is Courville who draws them out, who puts them at ease, who won't judge them.

Having worked in the film business for the past 12 years, Courville intends to use oral histories to help inform and advocate.  "Some people respond to statistics and some people respond to protests but most people respond to stories", she explained. "Audio portraits in the first person are an effective way to inform, educate, inspire and let people know they are not alone.  It has the ability to make individuals real people instead of statistics. It can be used to advocate."
Courville  believes that the medium could be a powerful way for non-profit organizations, neighborhood groups, as well as small businesses to promote themselves.
If you would like to get in contact with Jamie Courville and to listen to more audio portraits, please go  to her website here.

I would like to thank Jamie for taking the time to meet with me and for sharing some of her audio portraits.





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