A few years ago, I bought a small, die-cast toy car for my two and a half year-old nephew Miguelito for Christmas. Inevitably, the toy was destined for a few years of imaginative play before it was lost or passed on. But life, as it’s prone to do, made other plans and set in motion an intertwining of themes.

Fast forward a few years and the toy car is at the core of a photography project meant to represent the interconnection between all of us. I’ve taken the car with me on my travels and have invited people from all walks of life from all around the world to express their personalities in photos with the car.

It may sound trite — I know. But hear me out.

A good many people have agreed to be part of the project, from princesses to prime ministers; from artists to business people; from physicians to homeless people; from athletes to academics; from cab drivers to airplane pilots. Among the notable people in the project are the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton), United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, retired hockey superstar Gordie Howe, Chef Gordon Ramsey, authors Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, the Chilean miners, and many others.

I’ll conclude the project when Miguelito turns eighteen in 2021 by giving him a book of photos in which all of the participants are interconnected through the green car because he exists. The book will be both a testament to the existence of one person and an illustration of the connection between all of us.

This project has been covered by newspapers (including the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Regina Leader-Post, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun), radio (CBC Radio, The Bear, 630CHED, etc.) and television (CTV’s Canada AM, broadcast live coast-to-coast).

Also see the following two PDF documents. (Click the PDF icons.)

Miguelito’s Little Green Car Project Overview: 

Your photo with Miguelito’s Little Green Car: