While summer trips are something many of us look forward to as a relaxing break from our normal routine, performance artist Jordan Wayne Long decided to do things a bit differently. Starting on July 7, Long will be confined to a small wooden box as he is shipped from Bald Knob, Arkansas to Portland, Oregon. The 7-day trip will top 2,100 miles, and all the while, Long's only contact with the outside world will be through Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), a
massively multiplayer online game.
Long's reasons for the unorthodox "performance" are mixed. Aside from providing entertainment through
his blogs and
Twitter account during the journey, he also aims to better understand post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many individuals who experience traumatic events fall victim to PTSD, a debilitating anxiety disorder that leads some to retreat to virtual worlds for comfort. As Long himself doesn't actually have the disorder, it's somewhat unclear what he hopes to prove with the experiment, other than experiencing what it's like to live in a virtual world for a week.
The crate itself will be powered by battery packs, allowing Long's computer setup to remain operational for the entire journey. As for creature comforts, there aren't many. There are just a handful of ways for Long to bend himself into the box, and as for restroom facilities, he notes simply "It's being outfitted to handle all my business."
. I can understand doing things for the sake of pushing boundaries, exploring the unknown, etc... but this is just strange!
