Blind Meeting, a project by Shanghai-born artist Miao Jiaxin that brings together in person two social-media only friends who have never met, has begun with Maren Klein from Berlin and the artist himself as the first participants. Miao and Klein have been social media friends for about six months, have no mutual friends, and will spend 24 hours together from Jan 2 – 3 in his studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
The rules for the project informs the lodgers that:
a. The room is monitored and LIVE streamed online.
b. You CANNOT sleep.
c. You are free to do anything just like your own home, but you CANNOT leave the room.
d. You have to MAKE something: Make conversations, Make meals, Make objects/artworks, Make wishes/promises/
To fulfill the condition that they “MAKE something”, Miao and Klein have cleverly limited themselves to the same means of communication they had before meeting in person. Throughout this live video streaming event, they will “MAKE non-verbal, non-body-gesture, non-eye-contact communication. All expressions will have to be conveyed via text messages. All text messages are projected on the wall”. If it seems like a strange way of communicating, think of it as the conceptual reverse of leaving voice messages through iMessage or WeChat to communicate with someone who was not in the same place as you are.
Five other pairs are scheduled to participate in January.
Netflix’s Marco Polo might not be binge-worthy, but this is. Reality TV has never been so understated and compelling.
Watch below or on Miao Jiaxin Studio’s Livestream channel.
Image: Screenshot from Miao Jiaxin Studio’s Livestream Channel