Artist Plans To Ship Self Cross Country With Only LotRO For Company

[vansau]

Artist Plans To Ship Self Cross Country With Only LotRO For Company

A performance artist wants to only play Lord of the Rings Online as he's being shipped across the country in a crate.

Lord of the Rings Online is certainly a popular MMO, but is it a good enough game to help an artist study how people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder deal with the world? One man believes it is, and he's planning ship himself across the United States with the game as his latest piece of performance/video art.

Jordan Long is having himself shipped - in a crate (pictured here), no less - from Bald Knob, AR to Portland, OR. His only contact with the outside world during this time will be via Lord of the Rings Online. According to Long, this art project is to study "trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and claims that he has found that many who are confined to their homes due to such trauma tend to find their escape in the form of online games such as LotRO where they can 'enter and exit whenever they choose, be whoever they want to be and feel like functioning members of society again.'"

I'm not sure I entirely buy the idea behind this project. That said, Long's <a href=http://www.jordanwaynelong.com/work.htm>catalogue of work definitely sits on the farther side of the abstract spectrum, so such endeavors probably aren't going to resonate with everyone. What about you? Do you think this is a serious piece of artistic exploration, a pretentious exercise in absurdity, or something that falls somewhere in between?

Source: Massively

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[Dr. wonderful]

...I gotta admit, I wanted see the result of his findings.

 

[Erana]

Welcome to my world, those uninitiated to the art world.

That being said, I've never had a chance to study conceptual performance art. This fall should be very interesting, as you see in this news post.

 

[Matt Wood]

i think its some guy in a box, getting cheep airfares and a hell of a leg cramp.

although i cant shake the feeling the idea was done befor on that episode of malcom in the middle, where reece 'ships himself' to china

 

[similar.squirrel]

Where will he pee?

 

[Fasckira]

Whats he going to do about food, water and toileting? Or is he just going to do without?

All seems a bit pointless, the same results could be achieved by locking him in a crate ... and thats it. No need to ship him anywhere unless they're testing how good his mobile broadband connection, batterys and ability to endure being knocked around in a crate.

 

[Charli]

As someone who lives in a pokey little attic with only a computer and bed, and room for nothing else save one tiny little square of standing space... I wanna see how he handles it.

Why shipping yourself though? What's that accomplishing?

 

[Tireseas_v1legacy]

You know, he probably could save on the WiFi and just put in three JRPGs.

 

[Firehound]

Sorry, most shipping companies don't abide by crating people. Or puppies. Especially Puppies.

This also sounds like an excuse to play LotRO.

 

[Sharpiez]

I think they're just going to dump him in a semi and transport him somewhere. Honestly I don't understand why this is so special, most of us have been doing it for years.

 

[gyroscopeboy]

"Performance art" always reminds me of this episode of Spaced haha

 

[viranimus]

Arkansas to Oregon.. Uhm.. doesnt that still only take a week tops?

Besides that, how often is the guy going to get a stable internet connection cause it seems like he would be offline more than online.

Honestly.. If it takes more than a week, I half expect them to open the crate and find him dead.

 

[Phishfood]

He calls this an amazing art demonstration.... I call it student living.

 

[Enkidu88]

Hopefully he's going overnight mail...I don't see a bathroom in there...

 

[JMeganSnow]

If he wants to study people who stay home all the time, why does he need to ship himself across the country in a crate? Why can't he just STAY HOME?

The justification for this is absurd. If he wants to ship himself in a crate, fine, but for crying out loud don't try to pretend it's some sort of scientific effort for the betterment of mankind.

 

[viranimus]

Arkansas

Alaska, actually (if the abbreviation is correct).

On Topic. Why? Just... why? There really doesn't seem to be any point to this other than to make the news.

Your correct, AK IS Alaska, But Bald Knob is in Arkansas. Which would make much more sense given the wording "across the country", but I too would like a clarification of this.

I also agree this seems like an attention grab more than something scientific, but Im guessing thats to be expected from someone considered to be a "performance artist"

 

[Zoe Castillo]

==

 

[Sovereignty]

Honestly.. If it takes more than a week, I half expect them to open the crate and find him dead.

I seriously loled at that last bit.