On February the 14th this year in the NY Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) Jonathan Harris' latest piece of work 'I Want You To Want Me' opened to the public. This elegant and beautifully conceived piece is an exploration of the effect of online and the internet on dating. Over 50 million people visit dating sites every month. En masse, people have condensed their identities into page or
paragraph-long descriptions, sometimes complemented by a handful of
photographs or peppered with responses to canned questions. These
personal profiles are modern messages in a bottle, short statements of
self, telling not only who people are, but also what people want.
In these advertisements for new human relationships people package and
present their most loveable qualities to help complete their quest to
be loved. Here are some of the sentences taken from forums and sites that make up one of the works' four movements: 'Who I am':
I am ready for my prince.
From a 22-year-old man looking for a man in Brooklyn, New York
I am a woman who will listen to your darkest demons and not fear them.
From a 26-year-old woman looking for a man in Dallas, Texas
I AM THE WORLD’S GREATEST LOVER AND A DANCING MACHINE!
From a 21-year-old woman looking for a woman in Madison, Wisconsin
I am who I am, and I am a helluva find.
From a 54-year-old woman looking for a woman in Ocklawaha, Florida
I am not one of those skinny muscular guys with a 14-inch woody.
From a 22-year-old man looking for a woman in St. Louis, Missouri
I am a single mom supporting kids; I don’t need to support no man.
From a 36-year-old woman looking for a man in Seattle, Washington
I am not an American citizen.
From a 32-year-old man looking for a woman in Wilmington, Delaware
I'm logical, too practical at times, and completely out of my element when it comes to dating.
From a 26-year-old woman looking for a man in Chicago, Illinois
I'm wild like that.
From a 20-year-old woman looking for a man in Upland, California
I'm more interested in your brain than your bra size
From a 35-year-old man looking for a woman in Denver, Colorado
I'm interested in meeting a lusty male who dreams deconstruction and dismantles stale ideologies
From a 30-year-old woman looking for a man in Denver, Colorado
I am an experienced Sub who likes to switch
From a 38-year-old woman looking for a man in Raleigh, North Carolina
I'm a single dad trying to make it in this crazy world
From a 30-year-old man looking for a woman in Tampa, Florida
I'm depressed but I'm thinking how it would be nice to be in a relationship again
From a 19-year-old woman looking for a man in San Francisco, California
I am trying to lose weight, but I want someone to like me for who I am now.
From a 27-year-old woman looking for a woman in Wilmington, Delaware
I am clean cut, discreet and a perfect gentleman, and promise to leave you totally relaxed after our session.
From a 43-year-old man looking for a woman in Seattle, Washington
I'm not lonely or horny, but I am incomplete.
From a 40-year-old man looking for a woman in Raleigh, North Carolina
MoMa: Design for the Elastic Mind