The term participant observation is used by social anthropologists to describe a research strategy. In this approach to field work, the anthropologists gain a close familiarity with a specific group by becoming involved with them in their environment. Silvia Russel enacts this strategy artistically. She observes social groups within different urban communities and engages them in activities with the aim of sharing stories. Drawing sessions, interviews, and group discussions are carried out in the community centers where her subjects congregate. This field work becomes the raw material for her artwork, which takes the form of large-scale drawings, small diaristic images, or projects designed specifically for certain architectural locales. (...)
Her pictures are summations of the entire experience – an experience of sharing stories with strangers instigated by the artist.

Mitchell Marco, New York, 2008
from: “Participant Observer”