Lock 100 monkeys in a room with 100 typewriters for 100 years and you might not get any Shakespeare. But leave a bunch of disposable cameras in various locations throughout Toronto and you’ve got yourself an art project. That’s the basic principle behind Matt Greenwood’s interactive photography experiment Take Picture Don’t Steal. Since this fall, Greenwood has been distributing cameras and posting the results on his website of the same name. We chatted with the project’s creator via email to find out more about this user-generated endeavour.

Your website says that you were inspired to begin this project when you found a disposable camera in a cupboard. What’s the story there? And how did the idea evolve?
I thought it would be an interesting experiment to see how people react to a mysterious random disposable camera hanging up in a public place with the simple instructions: “take picture don’t steal.” Kensington Market was the first set, and I realized that I was onto something when I saw how natural people were in the photographs. The concept of having a camera without a cameraperson seems to the key to getting very candid honest shots. If you approach someone and ask to take their photograph you get very different results.

How did you choose the locations?
I wanted to create a portrait of Toronto and show the different neighbourhoods. The places are a little bit random, but that’s part of the charm of the project I think? I want to keep people guessing a little bit, but also cover the main areas. It’s actually the only thing I’ve got control over in the process — I leave the rest up to the people.

Have you gained any insights into these various neighbourhoods based on the pictures?
Toronto does have very different neighbourhoods but at the same time it's a big mix up too, so it's hard to characterize certain areas of the city just based on the pics. It’s a good framework to work around but I think people are pretty much the same wherever they live.

And what does the project say about the honesty/curiosity of Torontonians in general?
Torontonians seemed to be really into the project. I sometimes hang around in the background to see how people react to the camera and they immediately get it. They don’t question why there is a camera there or what the person behind the project is planning to do with the photos. It’s just: “Hey a camera! Let’s take a picture.” One guy came running out of bar when he saw me collecting a nearly finished camera on College Street and shouted, “Don't be an asshole. Don’t ruin the project!” So I had to explain the situation. I thought it was awesome that a stranger would try and protect this thing.



Which images are your favourites so far?
I like a lot of the images. It's hard to choose, but a couple that stand out are the one of the bride at the Music Garden at Harbourfront and one of someone's pregnant belly taken at Trinity Bellwoods which was such a personal thing to take a photo of.



And the obvious question: have any of the cameras been stolen?
I've had about nine cameras stolen so far. Toronto. Why do you steal my Cameras? What are you doing with them? But I pass no judgment. I usually try again at these spots and have got some good shots from Trinity-Bellwoods in particular.

You mentioned expanding the site and looking into funding options — how do you see this project developing in the future?
I’d love to take this project across Canada and actually travel to the places myself and document the journey, the experience and the people that I meet. I’ve also got a couple of ideas on how to add an extra element to the project based on locations, which I’m excited about. I’ve just started sending out cameras around the world to friends who are living abroad or travelling which should be interesting. I got my first set back from Madrid which I’ll post up on the site very soon.