What makes a celebrity famous? There are the ones who act, sing, dance, create or build, but there are also plenty who seem like fairly ordinary people who build a huge profile off the back of a reality TV show, a YouTube channel or an Instagram account.
But what if you didn't even need those things to be famous? Art collective Field Theory has created a work that is part reality show, part public spectacle and part art installation to explore the nature of fame – and make an ordinary Melburnian into a celebrity.
The team from Field Theory will move in with a Melburnian for 48 hours, learning everything they can about their habits, loves, hates, dreams, family, friends and life. During that time they will conduct interviews with their subject and those closest to the person, turning those videos into mini-documentaries that will play in Federation Square throughout Fringe. Think This is Your Life but for an ordinary person.
The climax of all this attention will be a giant party in Federation Square, celebrating the person. Maybe there will be hundreds of cans of their deodorant, or a gospel choir singing their favourite songs, or a food truck slinging their favourite foods. The one-day extravaganza will be celebrating that one otherwise ordinary Melburnian, in every possible way, and the whole city is invited to come take part.
Sounds like a fun project and a way to be famous for a few weeks? You can register online or come down in person to Fed Square from noon to 4pm on Saturday, August 18 and Sunday, August 19.
Rather eat your own hair than watch your life be played out in public? Keep an eye out for the docos and come down to Fed Square to see the circus unfold on September 30.
