Shoot an Iraqi artist (with paintballs) over the web

For the next six weeks, Wafaa Bilal will live in a small room in the back of Chicago's Flatfile Galleries. You can logon to watch him any time of day, seven days a week.

While Big Brother and Justin.tv have taught us that this alone might provide a few moments of diversion from the office cubicle, Bilal's stepped things up a notch. Not only can you chat with him or communicate via a webcam. You can also control a paintball gun that will shoot at Bilal -- even when he's sleeping.

What would have just seemed like an odd act of masochism takes on a new meaning when you consider the fact that Bilal was born in Iraq.

It's strange enough that video game addicts are now presented with the opportunity to shoot a real live human being using pretty much the same interface they would normally see when fighting fictional aliens. But the art installation is meant to raise questions of surveillance, obsession with guns, and the American occupation of Iraq.

Bilal has garnered a lot of attention already, so you might not be able to access the website right away, since the server is experiencing some strain. You can also keep up with Bilal's video diary on YouTube.

[via Boing Boing]

Tags: art, chicago, domestic tension, DomesticTension, iraq