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The world has been stopped by the coronavirus, but Jacqui Kenny has not stopped her wanderings. In the same morning you can parachute in the Arizona desert or in the steppes of Mongolia, going from one place to another in a single instant, discovering treasures through the most unusual cracks on the face of the Earth. It does not travel strictly, no. She is rather a modern explorer. A virtual discoverer .
The Londoner recounts her adventures on the popular instagram account @ streetview.portraits under the pseudonym of The Agoraphobic Traveler for Four Years. Kenny suffers from this anxiety disorder when faced with open spaces, which makes it very difficult for him to venture outside.
"Back then my agoraphobia was severe. I felt completely isolated and disconnected from the world. I thought the only thing I could do was find a creative escape route," Kenny tells EL MUNDO VIAJES. This is how Google Street View, the immersive views of the search engine, discovered.
"It immediately conquered me. I started my trips on Google Street View in Brazil. I had never been there and I was amazed by its colors and architecture. I could almost feel the energy through my computer screen. I found it so exciting that I was hooked. "
Kenny thus embarked on a long-term exploration. Among the billions of images , the possibilities of discovery were endless. His online project reflects those findings and offers a different perspective on the world.
"I'm always looking for images of everyday scenes that don't fit in the real world, which is how I feel a little bit too," he says.
It seems that he has connected with people (more than 120,000 followers on Instagram), something, he says, "that I would never have imagined." Nor would anyone have imagined that a pandemic would cut the wings of millions of people.
Perhaps for some, the idea of traveling is virtually unattractive. Kenny highlights some of its benefits, such as not having to worry about borders or travel restrictions. "When I have felt trapped in my life and the world has become small (both physically and mentally), the experience of traveling virtually opened up a whole new path for me . It fueled my imagination and capacity for wonder and discovery."
Mongolia, Chile, Peru ...
The photographs he shares reflect a clear attraction to certain scenarios with extreme temperatures . The artist, who is about to publish a book titled Many Nights with the poet Emily Berry, prefers to show cities and small towns, where there is a lot of space and the images could breathe. "I have clicked on all the Street View countries."
Question-. What advice do you give to people who want to immerse themselves in this tool?
Answer-. The exciting thing is to jump and see where you land. I am attracted to light, so I often stay close to the Equator . Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Peru and Chile are incredibly impressive and fun countries to explore.
P-. And some unexpected discovery?
R-. I would say that Mongolia was my biggest surprise. From my London apartment I thought I had entered a magical world . I hope to visit him in person someday. I also enjoy when I find images that collect small moments, such as an old man with a walker walking his puppy or a man watering his garden in his office suit. Those weird and funny little things.
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