Response3 – KeeganE

I’ve chosen to review both Jennicam and Nobody Here. These two projects stuck out to me for various reasons, but I’ll begin by breaking down my analyses of Jennicam first.

Jennicam represented a kind of enigma for the time: full transparency in a public domain open to literally anybody, anywhere, at any time. This would certainly be considered a discrepancy in the way most of the general population chooses to live (please keep the word ‘choose’ in mind here), and although many of the viewers may not have known it; Jennicam reflects the voluntary version of what we experience on a day to day basis.

“I keep Jennicam alive not because I want or need to be watched, but because I simply don’t mind being watched.”

For whatever reason this is seen as a strange, one in a million concept. Jennicam became famous for a variety of reasons, and the fascination of being able to tune into the daily life of one person is one which seemed foreign, if not outright strange to people. This is where we start to find a disconnect. The majority of our daily lives are monitored; when we are in traffic, the lights watch to see if we are penalizing any kind of traffic laws, shopfront cameras watch the streets to ensure there are no robberies on their stores, gas stations film the exterior, pump, and interior of their premises: in other words, cameras and documented, archived videos of each one of us has proliferated to virtually every aspect of our lives. Even now, sitting here writing this response, there is a camera on my laptop pointing directly at my face, and although unlikely, it can be accessed.
“I simply don’t mind being watched.” It’s a collective mantra we are constantly in denial of, because we allow this to happen and we exist (with little to no fighting back) within the confines of this statement. We are consistently monitored, and the fact that Jennicam was such a big hit only further outlines our denial of that fact.

Whatever level of privacy we maintain is incredibly small, and in this way I suppose Jennicam does represent the fullest disclosure, going as far as to allow viewers to witness sexual intercourse, masturbation, and other private things generally not made public. My question is: does Jenny not mind her presence online and in the view of others due to the insubstantial nature of an online presence (or a perceived insubstantial nature)? Does she believe that her online presence is a separate entity, one which she doesn’t need to feel judged by because it simply isn’t her, isn’t human?

In fear of letting this stretch on for too long, I want to get into the second project, which was easily my favorite of all the projects listed. Nobody Here. This blew me away. The merging of simple aesthetics and programs with some fairly profound thoughts and statements made this quite the journey, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed every moment.

“You have the right to unlimited expectations, including, but not limited to, love, health and musical talent. Should Life™ not fulfill these expectations, you may demand compensation from “Nothing and no one”, who will enhance your life with additional obstacles and little annoyances.”

The presentation of life as a Terms and Conditions page was something which really peaked my interest, and I enjoy the approach. The various other projects (I in no way claim to have explored them all) are an incredible exploration of many aspects of this artist’s personal experiences turned art, and my analyses begins to fall apart from my bias: I simply loved this. The project was confusing at time, convoluted and introspective. It works on calling out so many problems, muddling together projects through various hyperlinks. The presentations ranged from funny, happy, morose, outright depressing, and purely artistic.

Without trying too hard to read into things which may not be there, I’ll simply say this: the experiences, the morose contemplations of life, and the convolution point to an individual acutely aware of their mortality, and attempting to portray the fear, confusion, and utter rollercoaster that is possessing that awareness. This is the kind of autobotography I would want to create, and I’m so glad I got to experience this.