Warning: Feelings may arise

Per il testo in italiano, scorri alla fine.Admittedly, there’s a written warning: “Feelings may arise”. And considering that by the end of the conversation the interviewer, agent and interviewee all have tears in their eyes, well, it’s not hard to believe that Koreen Odiney really knows how to awaken emotions. To the extent that she has made a living of it, which in a short time has become the global phenomenon called “We’re Not Really Strangers”. WNRS (pronounced “winners”) is both a card game and an Instagram account that currently boasts 2.7 million followers, with a mission as clear as it is complex: connecting people, making them understand that “we’re all the same inside”. The quotation comes from the game box itself; inside is a deck of cards, each with a question designed to encourage deep communication. Maybe, after this period of polarization, division, and cynicism, something really is changing, even in a self-obsessed world like fashion. So much so that in January, WNRS will launch a collaboration with Maison Valentino. If people choose empathy, Koreen is ready to help them.How did WNRS get started?In junior high school, I asked for a camera. I thought I’d use it to take selfies and post them on MySpace, but I immediately realized that what really interested me was photographing other people. I was obsessed with understanding what united people, and the camera around my neck was the perfect passport. I took photos in the most disparate places, asking everyone rather intimate questions. And it turned out that this was the basis of what I do now. I just didn’t know it yet.Where does the name come from?From one of these chance encounters. On the way to work I noticed this man who was reading poetry. I photographed and interviewed him, and as I was leaving he said: one day, you’ll write a book, and the title will be We’re not really strangers.How do you choose your questions?I think that asking questions is an art form, and you learn it by observing people. Writing them is one of my favorite things to do. Then I test them on friends: if a question brings the conversation to another level, that means it’s working.The game is very reactive to our current reality. You’ve produced special decks on political differences, race, and privilege. And last month you did one on self-awareness.Connecting people who want to communicate deeply is one of the goals. The other is to connect people who don’t want anything to do with each…

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Source: vogue.it