Exploring Men, Masculinity and the Male Experience
What is Essentially Man?
Essentially Man (EM) is an independent project documenting the lives and experiences of men around the world.
Through interviews, profiles, photography and field reporting, EM explores men’s work, relationships, health, sport, bodies, cultures and everyday lives.
The project is primarily observational, not interpretative. Men speak for themselves.
About EM
WHAT IS IT THE PROJECT TRIES TO ACHIEVE?
EM is an independent project documenting the lives and experiences of men around the world. Founded by an Australian traveller, EM is built around a simple idea: let men speak for themselves.
Through interviews, profiles, photography and field reporting, EM documents men as they are — their work, health, relationships, sport, bodies, traditions, friendships and everyday lives.
The project is primarily observational, not interpretative. It does not set out to define masculinity, tell men how they should live or make every man fit a broader idea about what it means to be male.
The aim is simpler: to build a growing record of men and their lives, told as much as possible through their own experiences, perspectives and words.
approach
Here's How EM Connects
EM starts by listening. Interviews are conversations rather than attempts to make a man fit a predetermined story, theme or idea about masculinity.
Some men talk easily; others take time. EM meets each man on his own terms, asking about his life, experiences and perspectives while following the subjects that matter to him.
Observation is central to the project. Whenever possible, EM spends time with men in their own environments: at work, at home, in communities, at sporting clubs or wherever their lives happen.
The aim is to document rather than define: to understand what a man says, see something of the world he inhabits and tell his story without deciding beforehand what it is supposed to mean.
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