Youtube Video- The Paintball Project Day 5

On day five, Bilal invited his digital imaging class, from the University of Chicagos’ school of fine artsCK to receive their final critiques in the gallery space. The day’s video begins with Bilal bantering with his students about shooting him¹. After an anti-climatic misfire, they succeed in getting the paintball robot to fire, this time with two shots in quick succession. This anomalous event- the system was supposed to fire once every thirty seconds- was followed by expletives and gasps from the students gathered behind the robot. Bilal explained to his students that some visitors to the gallery would pick up misfired, un-ruptured paintballs and just throw them at him. The video then cuts as Bilal leaves the space to conduct his class critique.

When Bilal resumes the Day 5 video he reports it is about six thirty in the evening. He expressed pleasure in his student’s visit and their work. He then goes on to discuss the failure of the robot’s server due to an overwhelming demand from visitor’s logging onto the project website. He expressed the hope that the problem could be fixed and the sever speed increased. In the mean time he hoped to get some rest while the gun was non-operational. He mentioned how great his fatigue was then turned off the camera. He continues his blog less than an hour having been hit twice by painballs.He thanks his technician then says that a nap “isn’t going to happen”. He began to tear up. The video ends with Bilal saying that “he could not gather his thoughts”. He conveyed a sense of overwhelming fatigue.

1Bilal, Waffa (mewaffa)”paintball project day 5”
Youtube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfX4ynCr0M8 posted 10 may 2007, retrieved 7th June, 2010