The Blast Theory

Introduction to Blast Theory:
(http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/about.html)
Blast Theory is renowned internationally as one of the most adventurous artists' groups using interactive media, creating groundbreaking new forms of performance and interactive art that mixes audiences across the internet, live performance and digital broadcasting. Led by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, the group's work explores interactivity and the social and political aspects of technology. It confronts a media saturated world in which popular culture rules, using performance, installation, video, mobile and online technologies to ask questions about the ideologies present in the information that envelops us.

They did many interesting works and performances, here are some of my favorites.

In the tutorial class, we were introduced one of their works: Uncle Roy All Around You
(http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_uncleroy.html)

This is a game that played online in the virtual city as well as in the actual city. Two players who didn't know each other were invited to be paired in order to play the game. One player monitored the online virtual city and the other one listened to the instruction of the online player so as to find the main target----Uncle Roy. Finally, they will be asked some questions and they have to decide whether or not to commit with the other stranger player in the coming 12 months. If yes, the game will be continued for another 12 months... I think this game is really interesting because the two paired players were totally strangers, and they had to make sure that they could trust each other so that they could end up the game eventually. However, it was only a start of the game, as once players committed each other, there would be another story. Also, this game combined the virtual internet world and the real life world. These two things have always being compared. People can have two identities, one is in the internet and the other one is representing their actual appearance. Can people trust someone who lives in the internet and who is totolly strange? Is there a connection between the virtual world and the reality?

Can You See Me Now(Tokyo) is a similar project which combined internet and reality before th Uncle Roy project. It's just for reference. (http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_cysmn.html)

 

Rider Spoke, this work is a quite impressive one.

(http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_rider_spoke.html)

Players rode on a bike with a handheld computer mounted on the handlebars. There were many hiding places set in the city. They had to find a hiding place and then answer a question raised when they had arrived on particular hiding place. The answer would be recorded by a recorder. When the other players come to that place, they could also choose to record their own answer and even listen to the others' answers. Again, the players in the game didn't know the other players, but they could get to know something personal about the other players by listening to thier anwser in some hiding places. It's really fun and exciting game, and maybe it's a little bit touching. They could share some experience and personal feelings to the others through the game. Although they played the game individually, but they were not individual----they were actually interacting with the others.

Kidnap(1998)
(http://www.blasttheory.co.uk/bt/work_kidnap.html)

In 1998 Blast Theory launched a lottery in which the winners had the chance to be kidnapped. Ten finalists around England and Wales were chosen at random and put under surveillance. Two winners were then snatched in broad daylight and taken to a secret location where they were held for 48 hours.The whole process was broadcast live onto the internet. Online visitors were able to control the video camera inside the safehouse and communicate live with the kidnappers.

 

I think this work is the most interesting one. Participants had a chance to be kidnapped. That must be an unforgettable experience. Indeed, the "kidnappers" treated the hostages too well...They gave them food to eat and protected them from the injury(haha).