Description of Project:

Part experiment, part confessional, I Worry examines the significance of the commonplace concern in society. A diverse sample of participants will be asked to disclose their five most prominent worries in front of a camera. The footage will be presented as a three-channel video installation accompanied by on-site interactive art.

The overall purpose of I Worry is two fold. The first is to examine what happens when individual worries are presented in a collective? Do these worries reveal larger social and political problems? The second is to provide antidote to a culture that privileges stoicism over honesty – equating fear and vulnerability with weakness.

Call for Participants:

Volunteers are needed to contribute their list their worries on camera. Participants will be asked to write down in advance their five most prominent worries and read them aloud in front of the camera.

Shooting will take place May 29 and 30, 10:00am – 9:00pm.

The shoot is located in Kensington Market at the Kensington Mall, which is located at (approximately) 62 Kensington Ave in the market. (click here for map). There will be signs and someone there to greet you.

We are booking participants in 15 minutes increments. Participants are asked to fill out a questionnaire in advance (we ask for your first name and some demographic details - age, ethnicity, vocation etc.) and please come early!

We are also hoping to keep the sheets of paper that our participants used to write down their worries for the installation. If you don't mind donating this, please leave it with us as well!

View our Call for Participation Poster

How to create your list of worries:

Select the worries you will list by asking yourself:
• What are the worries that occur the most frequently?
• What are the worries that carry the most weight?

What we are not looking for:
• Phobias: e.g. arachnophobia, fear of heights.
• General fears: e.g. I am afraid of spiders, I am scared of being buried alive, I am afraid of commitment.

What we are looking for:
• Be specific: e.g.: “I worry that I pay too much in rent and I should get a cheaper apartment” rather than “I worry about money.”
• Be detailed: e.g. “I’m worried that my band is not talented enough to make it” rather than “I’m worried I’m going to fail.”
• Be as honest as possible! This project relies on honesty for its success so try to be as open as possible.

Contact Info:

If you’re interested in donating your time to I Worry or you would like more info, please contact Gabrielle Zilkha or Jenn Mason at thespotlightproject@gmail.com.