Researcher explores link between health and transportation

Calgary Transit commuters are getting a new take on themselves and their fellow travellers this month with a series of 10 cards appearing on CTrains and buses with words and images of different shoes.

EMPaThY? is a project that features photographs of feet accompanied by text taken from interviews with commuters over four weeks this spring. The photos are part of a University of Calgary research project and the brainchild of Suzanne Goopy, visual anthropologist, registered nurse and associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing.

Individuals are encouraged to join the conversation and share their story via Instagram at @calgaryconnects2015 and #empathyconnects.

Comments recieved like “I had a hard childhood” and “I’m lonely” contrast with “live life to the fullest,“ and “Calgary is a great city.” Collectively, they provide unique insights into how Calgarians view life, work, health and transport in their city.

“My interest is in the role that everyday experiences and empathy play in our world and how awareness of each other can lead to positive health outcomes,” says Goopy. The photographs of feet were just the most visible output of her research which seeks to understand daily health experiences and welfare needs of Calgarians.

“The images of shoes are deliberate on two levels; first as a metaphor for moving about, journeying through life, and second as a visual representation of the old adage that we can only truly understand others if we take a walk in their shoes.

“By showing these photographs, we’re inviting the viewer to consider brief snapshots into the lives of others and then reflect on their own lives, perhaps finding points of connection where they might otherwise have thought there was only disconnect,” she adds.

Read the full story in the Sept 8 issue of UToday.