Morgan Doctor's Strangers started as an ambitious, three part project which was to explore the idea of “anonymous intimacy” and the fragile boundary between intimacy and estrangement. Part travelling participatory art installation, part photo book, part online love letter exchange, all these elements were to be contextualized by the sounds of her fourth full-length studio album of the same name.
Then COVID struck, rendering most of this impossible. Thus, the only element left as an option was the online interactive exchange at morgandoctor.com/strangers, where participants are invited to submit a missive to others. The note they write can be an open letter to humanity, a confession about love or the verbalization of one's heart's desire. Once they submit their message they will receive one in return from a random, previous participant. Everything is designed to be anonymous, creating a sense of intimacy among strangers.
In a way, COVID has recontextualized this project and made it more relevant than it ever was before. Distance has now become the new normal, and our newly habituated physical habits estrange us from even our dearest friends. Indeed, we speak to the very people who gave us life via Zoom chats only, afraid that normal acts of affection will result in severe illness. On the flipside, once normal interactions in every day life that could lead to life-long friendships are a thing of the past, and strangers that might become friends, now remain unknown to us.
The album, which serves as a cathartic backdrop that guides participants through their (re)connection with fellow strangers, is a deeply introspective and enthralling record. Originating from a residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and culminating with a co-production with James Bunton, this record carries listeners through a lush, ambient landscape, evoking a sense of isolation punctuated by intermittent connection.
“We begin all relationships as strangers, and despite forming
intimate connections, we leave many feeling as though, once
again, we don’t know one other. We can also form intimate
connections with people we don’t know at all and might never
see again. We all are strangers in this world, yet we have a deep
capacity to connect.” --Morgan Doctor
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