Inside Out is a global participatory art project initiated by the French photographer JR.
After winning the TED prize in 2011, JR expressed his wish to "change the world" by turning it "inside out".[1] With the $100,000 from the TED Prize, JR set about achieving this by giving the power of representation back to the people.[2]
The project, inspired by JR's large-format street pastings, is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. The central concept places emphasis on people and their stories as well as the statement behind each Group Action. Apart from the printing of portraits, participants have full control of both the creative process (taking their pictures) and the pasting process (the installation of the posters). By using strictly black-and-white portraits, which are printed and then pasted in a public, exterior space, each Group Action can make a statement in the form of a public artwork and share their message with the rest of the world.[3]
Every Inside Out Group Action is documented, archived, and exhibited on the project's website.[4] As of August 2022, over 2,300 Group Actions had taken place, with nearly 500,000 posters printed and shipped to 148 countries. The Inside Out Project has reached all 7 continents, including Antarctica. [4] The Inside Out Project has traveled from Ecuador to Nepal, from Mexico to Palestine, inspiring Group Actions on varied themes such as hope, diversity, violence awareness, and climate change.[4]
Many individuals have become ardently involved in the Inside Out Project. According to Raffi Khatchadourian of the New Yorker, "A participant in Iran, at grave personal risk, had posted an image of a defiant-looking woman beneath a state sponsored billboard" and "Russian gay rights activists protested with the images and were briefly imprisoned in Moscow."[5]
Inside Out led to heated results in Tunisia, where installations began just as dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali stepped down. Participants pasted photos over posters of Ben Ali on an old fort.[6][7]
After the Inside Out Action in Tunisia, the project became world renowned. Since March 2011, many notable Actions have taken place:
Starting in 2011, JR set up large Photobooths in different locations — two in Paris, France, one in Arles, France and one in Abu Dhabi in order to get more people involved in the project. These Photobooths allow participants in Inside Out to immediately receive their portraits after having their picture taken, becoming active models in the project. Without having to submit a Group Action on the website, participants are invited to paste their picture wherever it makes sense for them.[31]
Following these installations, mobile Photobooth trucks were constructed for cross-country tours. Each truck features a built-in Photobooth and printer, making the Inside Out process more immediate. This way, Inside Out managed to show the world faces from the villages and cities they visited – faces that would have otherwise never have been exposed.
A List of Notable Inside Out Photobooths since 2011:
The trucks and the Inside Out Project team traveled across the United States and France to organize various Photobooth Actions.
InsideOut NYC - Times Square
One of Inside Out's largest Actions to date took place in New York City. From April to May 2013, the team built a photo-booth truck that traveled first to the outer boroughs of the city and finally to Times Square for the final installation.[55] The Action was an effort to portray a collective view of New Yorkers after Hurricane Sandy, and challenge the advertising of the busiest place in the nation with art. The posters were pasted in the communities of the outer boroughs, in Times Square itself, and citywide. Nearly 6,000 posters were printed.[56]
Inside Out 11M[57]
Another Photobooth Action was Inside Out 11M, a nationwide initiative aimed at creating a portrait of America that spoke for the 11 million undocumented immigrants inhabiting the United States. Inside Out 11M aimed to represent the diversity and unity of people that call America home, reminding us that behind the numbers are real human stories. From 16 July to 8 October 2013, both the East and West coast trucks visited 20 different cities across the country.
Au Panthéon![58]
In France, the Center of National Monuments collaborated with the Inside Out Project for a special, patriotic installation that would wrap around the Panthéon, Paris. The idea of this nationwide Action was to encapsulate the humanistic and universal values embodied by the historical monument.
Throughout the month of March 2014, self-portraits were collected for the installation via the project's website, where everyone around the world was welcome to participate and submit their photos.[59]
Additionally, to gather more portraits for the project, from 5 to 29 March 2014, the Photobooth truck visited the following sites:
The Basilica of Saint-Denis, Château and ramparts of the City of Carcassonne, the Château d'Angers, the Carnac Stones, the Towers of La Rochelle, the Palais du Tau in Reims, the Villa Savoye in Poissy, the Hôtel de Sully in Paris, and finally the Pantheon. The portraits that best represent the diversity of the contemporary world were used to create a mosaic that wrapped around the monument. The goal was to utilize all of the portraits collected in the final work, which was inaugurated on 22 April 2014.[60]
Back2School[61]
Since May 2014, the Inside Out Team has launched the project "Back2School". The Inside Out team regularly visits New York City public schools to take pictures with the Photobooth trucks at no cost. The portraits are then immediately printed and pasted onto the walls of the school. By showing the faces of the students, Inside Out wishes to give them the opportunity to show their personality through their photo and to express themselves outside of school.
Inside Out Education also focuses on Group Actions within educational settings; the project has naturally transferred into the teaching environment as it allows educators and students to present subject matters in a playful and engaging way. The Project includes workshops and a dedicated curriculum that brings cross-phase art education into classrooms worldwide through activities that give future Group Leaders ideas on how to use their Action for educational purposes.
As of August 2022, there have been 564 Group Actions in 450 schools, with over 60,000 portraits taken, pasted, and displayed, turning classrooms--and education--inside out.
Being a global participatory art project makes it easy for anyone around the world to participate,[62] and it does not take much to get started. In order to begin this process, one may create an account on the website for the Inside Out Project. After that is completed, one may submit a Group Action: motivation can come from wanting to spread joy and celebrate life or protesting a serious issue in a community.
There must be at least 5 participants/models in a Group Action. The Action needs make a statement about a cause or a message. The group leader must then send the portraits to the Inside Out studio, which will mail back 36x53 black-and-white posters for the participants to post in a public location of their choice. The exact rules of submitting a Group Action can be found in the Group Action Guidelines.[63]
A film documenting the project, Inside Out: The People's Art Project[64] was selected as an official Documentary Feature Spotlight at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, where the film premiered in Chelsea, New York City. The film then debuted exclusively on HBO in the US, where it is available for streaming. The film was directed by Alastair Siddons and produced by Emile Abinal.