Bradley's Response: I think this art is a great example to display the Internet’s often cruel nature. People hid behind their anonymity while doing despicable things. People are at their most toxic when they know that their identity is not at risk. They’re aware that the things they spew online can potentially damage their real-life reputation, but the thin sheet of internet anonymity provides them enough security to bring out the worst in themselves. Combine this with control of a paintball gun, you’re practically begging for the worst. I myself have personally experienced racism and other forms of bigotry from people, particularly in the online gaming space.
Greta's Response: This is an interesting piece of interactive art that conveys a powerful message regarding islamophobia in this country post 9/11 and the reconstructed website version of this piece uncovers users’ racism in an online anonymous text chat that only displays users’ IP addresses. I personally find this piece inspiring as a Muslim and still think it’s an important topic of conversation in our present day. I think it’s a bold piece to give users access to a paintball or virtual gun and have them decide what they want to shoot at which makes this piece really powerful. Wafaa Bilal acting as a human target for his political art piece proves dedication and I believe reveals people's true colors. As a Muslim, This led me to think about more Islamic art pieces. I included an image of an AI recreating Islamic Van Gogh paintings which I think are really beautiful. They aren't as political as Bilal's piece, however, this art was the first thing that came to mind when I researched Domestic Tension.