In the months before my semester in Spain, I was on a mission to document every mundane detail of my daily life as a student in Minneapolis. Even though I didn’t expect the photos to be very interesting, I knew from my time in Australia that no matter where you’re living, eventually you get used to your environment and stop paying attention to the little things. I was determined not to let this happen in Spain, so for the 90 days before I left for Europe, I photographed everything.

What surprised me from this experiment was how refreshing it is to try and view your familiar surroundings in a completely new way. I felt like a child, seeing everything for the first time. The above photo is an example of this—a beautiful discovery that I would never had seen if I hadn’t been on the lookout for novelty.

Now, several years after that experiment, I’m back in a state where everything is routine and familiar again. So when I came across the “Mission: Defamiliarize” assignment for ds106, I realized that it’s time for me to change how I see my surroundings.

For the first of these photo missions, I chose to focus on one of my favorite places: the Minneapolis Central Library. Not only is the building itself a work of art, but where else can you find free knowledge, natural sunlight, and amazing coffee all in the same place? So of course, I spend a lot of time there.

I spent part of a Sunday afternoon wandering around the library with my camera, taking note of details I’d never noticed and searching for unfamiliar vantage points. The library was busy, so I was very self-conscious for the first few photos. After all, it’s hard to blend in when you’re repeatedly taking photos of the ceiling… Soon enough, though, the excitement of new discovery outweighed the awkwardness, and I was down on my hands and knees, photographing the carpet.

And now, the results of the Defamiliarize: Minneapolis Central Library Misson

The Evolution Of a Story, a photo by wanderthisworld on Flickr. (Click to enlarge)

This is a series of photos I took on two separate occasions that depict 1) the root of the story, 2) the story being reinterpreted, and 3) the story finally being retold and reinterpreted by others.

This story began when I was in Athens with my friend Alla. We stumbled upon some sort of changing of the guard, and Alla decided to join in the fun by reinterpreting their march. (She claims it was just the result of too much caffeine. Note the coffee she’s holding…) Later, when we were back in Spain with our friends at our favorite corner bar, Alla retells the story. (With a slight bit of exaggeration.)