/Threaded/ Compulsive viewing
03/02/2007 | Filed under Discover > Threaded
The internet and obsessive behaviour go hand in hand according to Oliver Lindberg
One in 50 adults is thought to have obsessivecompulsive disorder, and the web’s littered with people who turn their obsessions into artistic projects. You may call them freaks, nutters, twits who’ve lost the plot even, but there’s something compelling about people who take a picture of themselves every day, ask the online community for advice of what to wear, or rely on a small Japanese toy to make decisions for them ...
On 11 January 2000, New York City photographer Noah Kalina decided to document “the subtleties of the ageing process” by taking a photo of himself every day until the day he dies (www.everyday.noahkalina.com). Noah hasn’t missed a day in over three years, and made a video of the first six years (www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B26asyGKDo), vowing to release another on the 10-year anniversary and a new vid every five years. He’s not the only one who suffers from the daily urge to take a picture of himself. Jonathan Keller, for instance, started his project in 1998 (www.c71123.com/daily_photo) and also made a video (vimeo.com/clip:106228). Then there’s Alberto Frigo who, in a 36-year project, photographs and catalogues each object his right-hand touches, and in a 10-year project records 10,000 of his dreams (www.albertofrigo.net); Tomoko Sawada who put on 400 different personas before she entered the photo booth (www.zabriskiegallery.com/Sawada%202003/ID400.htm); and Kate Bingaman who first documented her purchases before hand-drawing her credit card statements until they’re paid off (obsessiveconsumption.com). Meanwhile, a computer programmer called Winter will visit every single one of the 12,000-plus Starbucks stores around the globe, where he has to drink at least one four-ounce sample of caffeinated coffee (www.starbuckseverywhere.net). Winter has visited more than 6,000 Starbucks and spent more than $30,000 since 1997.
Passionate
Most ‘obsessive artists’ consciously choose their destiny, while some turn to somebody/ something else to make their daily decisions for them. Kevin McCormick, for instance, never knows what to wear, so he set up a website to ask people from around the world to pick his clothes for him (www.dresskevin.com). And English freelance web designer Alan Lubin, inspired by cult novel The Dice Man, lets a smiley Japanese toy called Unazukin decide events that change the course of his day (www.thetoydecides.com). When faced with a question, the Unazukin nods or shakes her head. So far, Alan has almost been poisoned by a lethal cocktail of random Marks & Spencer soft drinks, and used it for the dark side (World Cup gambling). Talking of decisions, the epitome of obsessive behaviour must be the 101-gesture version of Rock Papers Scissors, the “most terrifyingly complex game ever” (www.umop.com/rps101.htm). Created by David C Lovelace, it features 5,050 outcomes all meticulously detailed on the site.
What these projects share is a passion for following self-imposed rules and completing missions. We all ‘suffer’ from certain obsessions (something bad will happen if I don’t finish this article), so why not share them with the world, transforming them into artistic projects?
Comments
Mathew Browne / 09/05/2007 / 23:18 / http://www.mbwebdesign.co.uk
In response to the author's closing comment: My obsession is checking the room for spiders before going to sleep. Unfortunately, I don't think this lends itself well to an artistic project...
