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"Perfectly Strange"
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"Perfectly Strange" is a project consisting of two instant
photo booths whic h are installed at geographically distant places
and connected by internet. As in a regular photo booth the use takes
his picture having the reflection of his own image in front of him.
But instead of his own identity portrait h e receives, a few moments
later, the portrait of a stranger, who himself had his picture taken
in the other booth. The identity photograph is digitally s aved at
the moment of the taking of the picture and sent on to the other boo
th, where it is printed out to the user.
The booths are easily taken apart to adopt the shape of "flight
cases" which transport the material. The project is therefore
extremely flexible and mobi le and may travel to be installed at various
places. The project will be ina ugurated on April 8, 1997 and will
connect Tokyo with Paris. After several w eeks, the cases will be
sent on to their following locations.
The main concept of the project is to confront one's identity to that
of a s tranger's. Usual photo booths supply portraits for identity
cards. These ima ges are in some way the stereotype of identity representation
in modern soci ety. They don't only resemble but actually function
as the official identity of their owner. The interactive photo booths
of "Perfectly Strange" hands ou t the identity of someone
who is completely unknown to the user. It is not a previous user of
the same machine, Iiving in the same area. It is the identi ty photograph
of someone from very far away whom one is sure to never meet i n reality.
One's identity is replaced by that of the stereotype of a strange
r. It is printed out and transmitted to the one who just gave his
portrait a way. In each location, the participant will walk away with
the image of a st ranger.
Another element is the notion of mobility and travel. Each booth transforms
itself in to its transportation case. The handles and locks of the
flight ca se are still visible when the photo booth is installed and
ready for use. Sh ipment-stickers will carry the addresses of destinations
and expediters, the visible proof of different journeys. The two photo-booth-cases
are nomadic a nd rootless, while providing virtual exchange to their
users who are confron ted with the strange and the unknown in their
own usual surroundings.
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April 18 (Friday) - May 31 (Saturday), 1997 [Finished]
Opera City Tower First Floor , (ICC) 4th Floor lobby
