How can we inspire empathy and connection in a segregated megacity?
22 Strangers and the 1000 Mile Desert Experiment
Social experiment + feature length documentary
2016-2017 | Harvard University Master’s Thesis
I invited 22 strangers of all ages and abilities—blind, deaf, amputees, old, young, novice, experienced—to bicycle 1,300 miles across one of the most rural roads on the continent.
I demonstrated that through experience design we can break down barriers that divide us. I designed the pedagogy for the journey, brought in sponsors, and produced a documentary that chronicles the experiment and its results.
The above video excerpt shows one of the designed experiences: a day without speaking.
4 months, 180+ interviews, and a life-changing discovery
The question was open-ended. What would I learn about the city if I biked with and interviewed over 100 cyclists in Mexico City? The answer: more than I could have ever imagined.
In one of the largest and most diverse megacities on earth, having documented the journeys of dozens of daily cyclists, I discovered something grim:
The city is extremely segregated. Yet people had a deep desire for real connection and community. I was drawn to design a solution.
Recruiting 22 strangers to bike 1000 miles across the Mexican desert
The idea was simple. What if I invited 22 diverse strangers from all walks of life to join me in a shared experience and community building experiment. Over the course of one month, I recruited the group one by one. The youngest participant was a 12 year old boy that had never left Mexico City. The oldest was a 60 year old blind woman that was passionate about tandem biking.
Building radical empathy
At the personal level, there was a fundamental shift where each participant became acutely aware of their own limiting personal biases. They began to understand the different ways in which others experience the city. What is the urban mobility experience for a blind person? A deaf person? An elite athlete? An amputee? A child? An elderly person? These are questions we constantly explored through designed activities. For example, one activity involved a 24 hours span of time without speaking (just miming).
Conejo, an amputee, shares a tandem bike with Raul.
Martha (a blind woman) learns how to communicate with Hernan (a deaf man) through touch.
I used participatory filming methods to produce much of the documentary. Javier, a deaf cyclist, films his riding partner Plumas, a professional bike racer.
Documentary Trailer
Please reach out if you would like access to the full documentary.