Hello World! or: How I Learned to Stop Listening and Love the Noise

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Why do we feel compelled to document our lives? Why is there an urge to yammer on about every whim and emotion? Some may blame the inanity of reality television, others point fingers at the rise (and fall) of the self-indulgent memoir, and then there are the bloggers. But the compulsion to preserve individual memories and experiences is hardly new; it's just that our methods have gotten a little louder. Chris Baker effectively makes this point in "Hello World!," a touring gallery show featuring a huge video installation over 40 feet wide that simultaneously projects the video diaries of thousands of people. Participants range in age, life experience, and setting, but all are talking to an anonymous, potentially huge audience (as we all are every time we post something on the internet). Audio allows guests to explore the world of individual video bloggers or take in everyone at once. Whether you choose to listen to their stories or laugh at the nonsensical mass chatter is up to you. (Photo by Chris Houltberg)
Nov. 20-Jan. 9, 2009