Reflections on the First Draft of Chapter 3- The Spectacle and the Mundane

I have just finished going over the video blog that Wafaa Bilal used to document but also to communicate his performance. One issue that I will now grapple with is how do we consider the video blog. Is it peripheral to the performance, or is it intrinsic? How do we consider the role of documentation, especially when we can simultaneously record and transmit events?

the amusement that other felt as they watched a brief clip from the last day, belies the level of endurance required for this piece. My sense of Bilal is that he must be a natural humorous and optimistic man. this perhaps masks the duress that he was under for the thirty one days he lived and performed domestic tension. That is another question, and has broader implications for aesthetics in a virtualised world.

At what point can we say Bilal was living and at what pints was he performing? can we suggest the long term effecxts on him- depression, PTSD and physical symptoms- become a way of defining a performance slipping into the mundane? The mundane, as I use it here, is to differentiate from the spectacle. Rather than a pejorative implying boredom, I use "mundane" to denote the activities of life that are not conducted simply as a means of conscious self expression. Thus when Bilal scratches his beard, it is not necessarily performative as when he addresses the camera.This is not a strict binary, but rather I see it as a plenum, with "spectacle" being the extreme of expression, where the action only exists as a concious act of self expression meant for others to see and react to and the mundane, that which is lived without regard(perhaps, making a cup of tea while home alone).

My definition of spectacle is perhaps the hardest one to make because it ruptures if we consider that spectacle is part of life, especially for socially constructed classes of professional performers. At what point does the performance artist, the politician or the prostitute go outside their lives?These performances on a social level at least partly define the person doing them.

Youtube Video- The Paint Ball Project The Last Day...and the Gun is Silent

The final day of the project, and the video begins with the steady rhythm of the gun firing like a clock. Bilal is typing at his computer, and we can see the gun in the mid ground and a photographer in the fore ground. This video is unusual because Bilal is not holding the camera. He says "17 seconds" then leaves the computer and crouches under the guns arc of fire and makes his way to the back of the gun. Others count down with him. The gun fires a few more round, then Bilal pulls the plug, and declares "the gun is silent!".

Bilal stands up right to receive applause, and thanks those there and others. he asks if anyone is outside. He says the project was a tribute to all the Iraqi citizens and all the American soldiers who lost their lives. "We have silenced one gun today, and in the future we hope to silence all the guns" The camera pans across a small crowd of supporters and journalists who applaud him

The video cuts to bilal with his usual greeting of "Hey everybody is Wafaa". in the background their are sounds of  a party. Behind him is the yellow wall with he paint covered plywood panels. "He says' The confinement is over" and thanks his audience for "keeping the hope alive" and talking and interacting with him. He walks outside. He passes through party goers"hey it's a great crowd "wow, I promise you I wont cry as he steps outside the gallery after thirty one days inside. "It's great to be alive. It's fantastic to think and reflect."

"Please keep the conversation going" saying the piece was an open narrative. He thanks the virtual human shield, all the participants and standing in the gallery parking lot, signs off the last video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDZM4AooEv0

Youtube Video- The Paint Ball Project Day 30

Day 30



Day thirty of the paintball project begins with aclose up of the gun cycling through firing several pain bnalls. The video then cuts to Bilal, he notes the server is very busy, perhaps because it is the last day of the project. however he announces he will extend the project one more day.

He says this extra day is dedicated to those who said he could not complete the project. He then thanks his supporters. He says the project has had both "highs and low" and hads both united and divided people.

He goes on to say that art is supposed to "inform, agitate and be part of life". He says he has no resentment towards the people who shot. "It is an encounter, and open narrative- it is not a didactic piece." said Bilal.

He says he is in great spirits although the project has had an impact on his physical and mental health. He says good bye, saying" it has been a great journey". The camera cuts from him to the little figure of him, and the words " K TNX bye" type across the screen.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtvvVbeaSHk&feature=related

Youtube Video- The Paint Ball Project Day 29

Day 29 is a silent 4minutes and seven second photo montage from the previous 28 days of the performance. Ii shows Bilal cleaning and maintaining the gun. and the objects within the space. In some respects, this video is more revealing as it reveals the material experience more than Bilal's words which belie the talking head image of most of the documentary video's.


The immediate sense is how virtually everything is covered with wet paint. This doesn't come through in most of the videos, but it is obvious the yellow room must be virtually impossible to clean. The effect of living in that environment was very wearing. Also striking is the care Bilal had to lavish on the gun which is emphasised in the photographs which show him stripping and cleaning it, leaving it gleaming, while the environment around it is filthy.

The final image is a smiling caricature of Bilal waving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0NR_pITj0c

Youtube Video- The Paint Ball Project Day 28

Bilal greets us noting is is feeling well mentally, after getting four and ahalf hours sleep. He mentions that he had not slept for 48 hours prior to that except for a couple of hours.

Physically he described having strong pains in his abdomen. He demonstrates how he must crawl to avoid the gun. He explains he is going to lie down and hopes he feels better. As he moves through the gallery space, he says that he is bothered by the lack of physical activity due to his restriction to the gallery space. He lies down on the floor beside a sunny window. He lifts his goggles then says he normally exercises at least an hour a day. But he reflects that he hasn't the freedom to do this. This freedom is so important, he continues, and he has learned to "cherish it" and the small comforts as a result of this project. he then signs off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAi5Agm_idM

Youtube Video- The Paint Ball project Day 27

This video begins oddly, with Bilal apparently signing off after saying the day had been very quiet, and he liked that.The then video cuts to him now in goggles  in the yellow room greeting us to day 27 of the project. He mentions they have received a box and inside it is a potted plant. Bilal smiles broadly as it is carried into frame. then appears to get choked up. He then says"I am overwhelmed". He pans the camera away from his face towards his helper who is unwrapping the plant. She smiles towards the camera as she holds up the plant, which appears to be about 30cm tall.

Bilal pans the camera back towards his face. "Wow, what a great gift! Who ever you are...this gives me so much hope" Said Bilal. He is again smiling broadly, even as a paintball round rings out in the background. He pans the camera wildly, as he meant to turn it off or hadn't turned off. We over hear him say the plant will go on his desk where"they can see it but not shoot it". he then turns back towards his face. We can see the leaves of the plant at the edge of the frame as Bilal holds it. He holds back sobs as he says"I am extremely touched". "I am not gonna let any one shoot it". Morgan returns saying there is a card in the box. Bilal asks her to read it. Morgan reads

"Dear Wafaa, We are saddened by the assault on your plant and on you. So may this peace Lily be some sort of comfort for you in your project. Be well and wishing you and all of us peace, "Milane and Jason". Wow, very touching" Bilal says again. He had noted the previous plant had been killed by the constant paintball fire. He then makes his way through the firing zone, crouched down and carrying the plant. he adjusts his goggles and says" this is extremely touching" again. His breath is laboured as moves crouched over. He stops to address the camera again and heaves a heavy sigh. Behind his goggles we can see he is blinking back tears. He says "I am so happy to see...the goodness in humanity. He glances away from the camera and is silent for a few seconds then sighs again and returns his gaze to the camera. The camera pans away then cuts. In the last 5 seconds of the day's video, we see Bilal rubbing his eyes and crying.

Youtube video- The Paint Ball Project day 26

Bilal greets his audience at about one o'clock in th e afternoon  with about 125 people logged on. He says about 36 people are doing "left action" turning the gun into the left corner of the space. He says that this action had come to be called "Virtual human shield" in the chat room. This prevents people from shooting at him. It had frustrated many people. Bilal says he will not interfere with the gun, whether it is pointed towards him or away. If it is just pressing the button, then it is part of the performance vs a coding trick, like the early days on the project when MIT students hacked the server and fired the paintball gun like a machine gun.

The action had reduced the rate of fire. The additional chat room activity Bilal describes as pleasant.

When he returns, he mentions it is abouit three in the afternoon. He notes he has gained a lot of weight. He found he was eating constantly perhaps from depression, as well as gaining weight from lack of exercise.

he also mentions that additonal paint balls would be delivered, with his supply running out.

When he returns he said that their is less firing and more chat and more of the virtual human shield or "turning left". He introduces a visitor, Beverly Nelson and found the performance online on Memorial day and said she entered a chat room for the first time and discovered she could turn the gun away from Bilal. She compliments me for his passion and endurance as he uses performance art "to make a statement". She thanks wafaa and those "clicking to the left." Bilal thanks her then chokes up. he clears his throat as he says "it is another act of the community" that warms his heart. "It gives me hope" He says then signs off until later in the day.

In the next segment, he continues interviewing Nelson. she brings him clean socks, M&M's and hot sauce. Nelson chuckles as she says she noticed he had one white sock and one black sock when she watched him via the internet. He says he hadn't noticed that he was wearing mis-matched socks. He notes how privacy has gone and he wants to call attention to that. As he signs off for the day, Bilal notes how happy he is "to be part of this community".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr9Y9suPyOc

Youtube Video- The Paint Ball Project Day 25

Bilal greets his audience saying the volume of fire has been very heavy, and again, from global visitors. The biggest problem of the day was that the rapid rate of fire, with shots being fire sometimes less than a second apart,was the supply of paint balls had been almost exhausted. He had sent a friend to the paintball store to try and obtain more, his usual supplier having run out of stock.

Following up on the previous days report, he notes that thousands of rounds had been expended the previous day. He walks through the gallery space behind the camera and pans over the stacked boxes now empty of paintballs. Due to supply problem he considered switching to rubber or plastic balls. As he pans and moves we have a more complete sense of the gallery space, with the gun, the doorway into the yellow room and the computer monitor where he works. He notes that people(presumably online) mentioned that the camera on the gun had shifted so that the barrel was no longer centered. He demonstrates how he has turned the computer monitor so that he can see how the gun camera is aligned on the barrel. He then pans up and to the right so we can see his hand adjusting the gun camera. The gun is still moving and firing as he attempts the adjustment.


"There are people dedicated to moving the gun away to the left" says Bilal. "That is very heart touching" he says. he goes on to say that many people are participating with the chat room, and many are simply panning the gun but not firing. He says bye for now and the segment ends.

When the video resumes Bilal says it is Lunch time and he pans the camera over to a friend who introduces himself as MannCK Bartlett. Bartlett has brought him a lunch of a peanut butter chocolate shake and a Cobb salad. Bilal is noticeably brighter in mien when he has visitors in the gallery space. Bilal pauses the video to have lunch.

When the video resumes, bilal again has a more tense expression on his face. He is again framed against the gallery windows looking out onto the street. Due to the shortage of paint balls he says he had switched to rubber rounds. However, he had found a company in Illinois who had stepped in and would provide paintballs for the duration of the project. He thanks PMI for their donation of paintballs and CO2 for remaining 6(in fact it would be seven)days of the project. He thanks the community for this and he says he thinks the community thanks them(PMI) for this. With that he says good bye.



The second video for day twenty five begins with Bilal talking on a mobile phone. he says that he had been talking to the paint ball store and that they had no more yellow paint balls. He said they were down to a single case, but more would be coming the next day. Saying he would update us later, the brief segment ends.

When the video resumes he said PMI "did not come through". It said now he had to call another supplier now for the next days supply. He said tht PMI had called back and said "they could not support the project". He said they said it was not broader politics but internal policies due to a recent merger. Bilal has walked out of the yellow room, into the front area of the gallery and lifts his goggles, and shakes his head. The furrows of his brow and the squint of his eyes suggest great concern. He says he is both disappointed and appreciative of PMI's position. He groans as he rises from a sitting position. The sound of voices and the crack of paintballs being fired can be heard as he dials the other supplier. he is silent for a moment then says he is calling discount paint ball. However, it seems to take a long time to connect, and he apparently adjusts his phone volume. Finally, he announces himself into the phone. The conversation seems to have long pauses where Bilal seems to be on hold. Bilal says to the camera, as he waits, that he doesn't want to use the rubber balls because they are more painful and"bounce back". "yes! ok, ok, yeah, ok oh great!" Bilal asks if they will be able to ship them, as otherwise he will need volunteers to collect them. Bilal offers this synopsis "They located 20 cases of yellow 'paint'[balls] and mark talked to PMI who weren't going to donate it but would negotiate a better price."

Bilal zooms into his face as he says he hopes this will be sufficient paint to finish the project, and signs off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lklAAwy1dUQ&feature=related

questions- is this an art-game or game art?
How does this piece of performance art negotiate the line between spectacle and mundane performativity?----------->Webcam society/Rock band community- panopticon/

Compare- Doom, Domestic tension, Virtual Jihadi, Cremaster and "Shoot"

Youtube video- The Paintball Project Day 24

This blog post was made in two parts on Memorial day- the day the United states honours its veterans. Bilal said he felt good and the steady volume of fire required loading the gun every twenty minutes. He recalled how the previous day had been very difficult emotionally. He says he was feeling much better than yesterday and had restored his confidence in his ability to finish his project. He mentions that he had chosen to not show disturbing footage from yesterday. He looks down as he says this. He was concerned that he would upset those that cared about him.

He searches for his words then says that he felt he could share that footage now. Bilal stammers a little as he warns the video shot after  his friends left the previous day was very disturbing. He says the rate of fire in the background was much lighter than in the footage he was about to show from the previous day.

"Hi everybody, (2:15) it's Monday, memorial day....it is the heaviest day we have had... all the available slots have been filled." Said Bilal. I counted 9 rounds fired in the first thirty seconds of this segment. "I honestly thought it would be much quieter because it was memorial day." he says that it is not only the US, with Denmark, Ireland, the UK, France and Canada as contributing  people operating the paint ball gun. He is perplexed that such a global presence would appear on a Monday, even if it was a holiday for the US.

He says it was the first time he had seen this. Saying he will provide an update later, he turns his camera toward the gun which is traversing rapidly from side to side. He then turns the camera back at the opposite wall. Bilal again emphasises the damage done and high volume of constant fire. He says he expects the server to crash, then signs off.

When he returns, he says it is memorial day.   Bilal's brow is knit beneath the protective goggles and his movement is abrupt and jerky. he stammers a little, as he says they are "still under heavy bombardment".  He notes that his personal computer has crashed(too much chat traffic, but the gun is still firing. He says that he has to reload the gun's hopper every ten minutes and he swings the camera towards the gun, whose hopper is almost empty. He says "gotta go andf fill it as the camera swings abruptly and the video cuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWUfROO6-34



The second video of day twenty four begins by repeating the last 20 second of the previous video.  The camera now points bat the ceiling as Bilal moves, then he places it where it can view him loading the gun. As he places handfuls of paint bails in the hopper, the gun jerks violently from side to side. He returns to address the camera, with the paintball gun visible over his shoulder. He notes that the server is full, with 60 or seventy other trying to log on. The mnajority were from the US but he notes many were from Demark, UK, France and Thailand. The video cuts away.

When it resumes, Bilal appears without his goggles and says it is 5o'clock. The shoot continues, with refills every fifteen minutes and people from around the world. Bilal describes this as a hard day. The video abruptly cuts to the day 23 footage that Bilal had desribed earlier.

In this clip, we can hear bilal suck in his breath and sobs."People don't mind giving me so much hope- everybody' is in Tears" says Bilal. "Can you imagine an entire nation living like this?" And his voice cracks as he begins to weep. He looks away from the camera and flinches with the crack of a paintbal round. He is silent for a few mintues then the video retrurs to the openiing sequence from day 24.

Bilal says" I hope this will give you an idea of how hard it is to be in this place. It's no longer a physical game but a mnetal one because he no longer fears the gun, which he describes as "scary". It is mental because the act of shooting at him has become mechanical. The taunts of some people online in the projects chat room. He describes his unease with his ability to continue and the frustration of the other perticipants with the projects continuation.

Bilal says"My intent is to raise awareness of my family in Iraq... That is my first intent and I'm going to continue doing until next Monday. Thank you for your support, you have been great. I look forward to talk to you all at some point. Bye for now". His demeanor seems more determined or perhaps rigid as this last brief clip plays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maaZ7fiyQhA

Youtube Video- The Paint Ball Project Day 23

Bilal addresses the camera with the street behind him, visible through the gallery window. He says he has a new energy thanks to the people watching the blogs posted on Youtube, those participating through the online chat room , and visitors that spent time with him in front of the gun bringing "care, love and food". But he says his emotions are going up and down and he has trouble composing himself. He warns that the footage he was about to share might be a bit disturbing but "reflected reality". The video cuts away to previous footage.

"Hi everybody it is day 23 and I have two of my best friends here." Bilal is again in the yellow room, the wooden panels protecting the wall from paintball rounds visible behind him. He pans the camera to BenCK and SylviaCK who are both wearing full head paint ball helmets. Bilal mentions they have just returned from vacation and that both took part in the project, Ben writing [computer] codeCK and Sylvia writing the Html. Syvlia says it is very intense being in the space with the gun, and she and Ben giggle nervously then she jumps as the crack of a paintball round resounds through the room. A second before she had responded with a "yes" to Bilal's question of whether she felt "she was in a war zone". She says the the sound is very intense, causing her heart rate to elevate and "creating a constant state of anxiety". Bilal goes on to say that is probably what is causing he symptoms of heavy breathing and chest pains that he described in his previous blog posts. He says he will update later and that segment of the blog post ends.

When the video resumes he is walking towards the front doors of the gallery. He says" They are here, let's say hi to them and he pans his camera to a trio of smiling people, visible through the window, approaching the doors. He greets them warmly and they introduce themselves as Lori Talley CK, Lori HemslayCK and Nick Muller. Bilal explains they are bringing him lunch and describes his appreciation for how the community are taking care of him since he is "totally isolated".

This made me think of how shamanic characters would have been supported by the people around them in the earliest human communities. These feats of endurance as a way of acquiring wisdom for a community required supporting the artist/religious figure/diviner as a conduit.

They enter the gallery, going up the stairs. The segment ends as they stop for lunch.

The video repeats the interview with Ben and Sylvia.

At the conclusion of the video, Bilal says he has decided not to include the disturbing video, because it had upset him too much. He says he is feeling good and it is about two o'clock in the morning. things have been stable- the gun never stopped. I am up for it so pleased don' t be worried, I'm going to be fine. Bye!" The video ends as the camera pans in a blur then cuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DciV2znsGpo