Interview with Iraqi-American artist locked in room with paintball gun

Brian Boyko says,

I recently got an oppertunity to interview Wafaa Bilal, the artist who is living with a paintball gun controlled via the Internet 24 hours a day. Some powerful stuff here:

Snip: Do you think the pseudo-anonymity of the internet and the distance has a lot to do with how this project is turning out?

No doubt about it. I mean, (*bang*) it is an internet base, and it is using the latest way of communication, but by design (*bang*), I wanted to remove the viewer from any physical impact. You log on the set, and you don't even have sound (*bang,bang*) I mean, you're hearing it right now, because we're on the phone, but when you're on the site, you never hear it. That's speaks of the virtual war that's being conducted against Iraq and other nations as well.

Link

Previously on BB:

  • Shoot a real live Iraqi over the Internet