Someone Else

Every day we pass dozens if not hundreds of people with whom we’ll never exchange a word. They have different backgrounds, move in different circles and experience life in a way we might assume is very different from ours. The artist Ant Hampton wondered what it would be like to break that pattern, so he moved from words to actions. He went to a local cell phone store and asked the employee who he actually is. With Someone Else he challenges us to do the same.

This audio stroll is a mixture of confession, radio play and moral reflection. The artist acts as a director, giving instructions for action, but sometimes he aims these directly at the listeners. Two voice actors express the ideas and feelings of the listeners who experience the work as a couple. At the same time, that doubling of identity leads to increased self-awareness and a certain distance. This creates a contemplative bubble that forces you to think about an environment you might otherwise take for granted. Someone Else is a subtle exercise you can do with someone you know, but much more intense with a stranger.