“Oh no, please don’t, I’m so unphotogenic”, Mariam tells me with a smile as I squat down to take a few pictures. I squint and reply, “But Mary, you look dy-no-mite!”
She laughs and her eyes light up even more. Essentially, that laugh and sparkle in her eye encapsulate exactly what her project Wiener Portraits is all about.
Wiener Portraits is a website dedicated to Vienna’s characters. In the form of short, sweet films, the site portraits Vienna’s everyday, ordinary people who make an extraordinary positive impact on other people’s lives.
The short films consistently use beautiful lighting, unique locations and slow-mo scenes to convey powerful messages.
“To me, Wiener Portraits is a blog – just a very demanding one with a big team of movie artists, cutters, and organisers behind it.”
Where did the idea come from? “When I was small, I saw Bob Geldof’s Live Aid on television and decided, then and there, that I also wanted to save the world,” Mary tells me. While plenty of people make this claim, it’s hard not to believe Mary when she says this.
“This really influenced my school years where I planned various charity events, and it made me want to study socioeconomics. This never came to pass, which left me with the sad realisation that saving the world wasn’t a job for one person.”
“I took a bit of time off to collect my thoughts, and came up with the concept for Wiener Portraits – which comes from the simple insight that we’ll need an army of good people to change something.” Mary was born in Iraq, and therefore knows how high the living standard in Vienna really is. “Personally, I think it’s incredible how grumpy we can be.”
I nod my head with an enthusiasm that can only be inspired when you meet one of those rare people who see the world the way you do.
“If you look at the quality of our public health system, of our water supply, our infrastructure, and the level of security in Vienna, it becomes absurd how ungrateful we are sometimes.”
According to Mary, that oh-too-easily contagious cynicism is what inspired the core of Wiener Portraits – “to send that warm, fuzzy feeling of goodness out into the world.”
“My vision is that at one point in time we’ll have this huge library of everyday heroes, of human beings that do good in their microcosm, be it with a hands-on mentality, or simply a positive aura. Or we have these places where you can immediately feel better about your surroundings, and the city you live in.”
To put it simply (even with the danger of sounding sickeningly kitschy), Wiener Portraits is all about spreading love. Because as Mary puts it: “Today, we’ve got the world at our fingertips – a post on Facebook can create a stir that’s felt worldwide. The faster we turn this power into something positive, the better.”
The popularity of the blog’s concept has already picked up so much pace that Mary has received offers to sell the platform. “That’s not going to happen”, she says while laughing.
“I mean, I’m flattered that other people like the concept, but rather than selling it, I want to invest the reach it has for the good cause. For example if one of Austria’s large retailers would like to pay for a portrait, I’d tell them
– ‘Sure, I’ll film you and in return, you’ll give food, blankets and baby formula to some people who need it’
– That’s the small steps of change I have in mind.”
And to finish things with an infamous question, I ask Mary where she sees herself and Wiener Portraits in 5 years. “I want it to become a standalone medium, established in many countries. And with the impact, and the money it brings, I want to be able to change people’s fate for the better.”
An ambitious, yet humble goal, said by a person who is just at the very beginning of a story that will be larger than herself if she stays the course. And we have a sneaking suspicion that she will. Mary is one of those people that spreads good vibes without even trying – check out the photo at the top of this article: can you see the couple hugging in the background?
That’s what this is all about.
Wiener Portraits wants you!
Or somebody you know: Mary encourages you to nominate people you think are everyday heroes – may it be a friend, a family member, or that neighbour that lets you use their toilet when yours is blocked (we’re not sure if this one counts).
Simply click here to drop Mary an e-mail, and tell her about that special someone. You can also nominate yourself, of course. Our mothers always told us we’re special.
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