Get in a taxi cab and don’t get out until you have a had a conversation with the driver. People today are sucked in to their phones or more concerned about where they’re going that they don’t pay attention to what is around them on the way there.
Documentation:
I was very lucky that Fasten, an Uber like service, was doing free rides all weekend to promote their service, so I took advantage of that. You can choose your destination not only by address but also by choosing a point on a map, so I was able to randomly choose a destination. Sound quality is not the best, and also started a bit after the conversation began.
Artist Statement:
Inspiration for this came from Linda Montano and Techching Hsieh’s Art/Life One Year Performance 1983-84. When reading about the work the main part that stuck out to me was that most of the art wasn’t witnessed by anyone except them. I wanted to do something that wasn’t a spectacle. I was very happy with the results, as I ended up having a great conversation with my driver and didn’t even realize how close we were to the destination until he asked if it was up ahead. If there is ever another free weekend of rides I would happily spend a day meeting new people like this.
If I were to place this game on Schrank Avant-Garde Diagram the I would put it in the middle top half of the Emancipation box. I feel that the game is more formal radical in the actions taken, as the rules of the game don’t make the person sit back and experience the game, they must put in effort. I feel the game is pretty political in idea, as the narrative is completely based on the player and what they do, and the game’s concept is based upon a common trend taking place in society today, while promoting to break that norm.