In the beginning of 2012, artist Gonzalo Bénard in a quest of understanding the loneliness of youth, its causes and consequences, asked to a few strangers/volunteers – through social networks -, if he could shoot them through webcam, avoiding the physical or energetic presence, as pre- installed security cameras at their rooms, dorms, bathrooms, and other living spaces.
Since then, more young loners joined in this psychological and photographic project, sharing with us their vulnerability and frailness while alone and lonely, most of them lost in their own thoughts or even in the society that we’ve built. Some as a scream for attention, some others for a moment of exhibitionism – which is per se a call for attention -, and some others just shared their intimacy and private moments for the proposed of the project, both as a case study and art involvement.
B Shot by a Stranger has been growing up with them: almost 2 years passed since the very first loner, resulted in almost 50 loners from all over the world. All of them between the ages of 18 to 28yo, students or workers, from arts to sociology or economics, dancers or geologists, they are from Sidney to Poland, from Johannesburg to Chicago, Paris or Philippines. Belonging to different labels on races and sexuality orientation, cultures or religions, they all suffered from loneliness at certain point, and B Shot by a Stranger was there to be the stranger and witness of their naked fragility.
