Sitting and Smiling

Sitting and Smiling is an endurance art performance by Benjamin Bennett. In a typical performance, Bennett looks into a video camera which is recording him while sitting and smiling motionless for four hours.

"There isn't really a purpose. My inbox is full of people asking me why I'm doing this, but I don't think that question is really applicable to this type of activity."

Benjamin Bennett, 2015 interview with Vice Media[1]

Bennett uploaded his first "Sitting and Smiling" video on July 28, 2014. Over the next several years, he uploaded similar videos at a rate of about one per week. Currently, his videos have earned more than 20 million views with over 250.000 subscribers.[2][3]

Bennett cites Claire Bishop's 2012 Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship as an inspiration for his art.[1]

Walking and Talking

On February 24 of 2019, after reaching 300 "Sitting and Smiling" videos, Bennett began a new video series entitled "Walking and Talking", where he walks around an area and speaks about a specific topic that is announced in the title of the video. Even though not all of these talking videos are around 4 hours, he wants to stay on this number with "Walking and Talking".

Incidents on stream

During the fifth installment of his stream, a burglar attempted to enter his home. When he was unable to open the door he said “Hello?” Then proceeds to close the door and leave. The incident generated attention online and the video currently has over 4 million views.[4][5]

In a separate incident in his 52nd livestream, Benjamin clearly urinates himself, with a wet puddle seeping out from under him and gradually evaporating over the remainder of the footage. He never acknowledges this or breaks his composure and continues to sit and smile to the camera.[6]

During streams 238 and 257, Benjamin cries intermittently during the stream. He does seem to break composure a bit and makes sounds while crying, but then returns to sitting and smiling.

Critical response

One reviewer commented that "One of the strangest aspects of this project is its apparent lack of explanation."[7]

Other reviewers said that the performance was "bizarre",[8] "tip of the creepy iceberg",[9] and "bonkers".[10]

Bennett has received praise for preserving the mystery of his art by refusing any opportunity for interviews on the popular television show Tosh.0.[3]

References
  1. Suzdaltsev, Jules (22 January 2015). "This Guy Is Filming Himself Sitting and Smiling for Four Hours a Day". Vice. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqW54i24PGw1q7IxciRmgTA/about
  3. Putney, Dean (7 October 2015). "Internet man sits and smiles at camera for hundreds of hours". Boing Boing. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  4. Sumitra (26 January 2015). "This Guy Is Filming Himself Just Sitting and Smiling for Four Hours a Day". Oddity Central. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  5. "Sitting and Smiling #5". YouTube. Benjamin Bennett. 25 November 2014. Event occurs at 2:36:30. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  6. "Sitting and Smiling #52". YouTube. Benjamin Bennett. 20 February 2015. Event occurs at 2:47:00. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  7. Rutherford-Morrison, Lara (20 January 2015). "This Man Sits, Smiles, And Stares At You For Four Hours, Creating A Black Hole Of Existential Angst (Enjoy!)". Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  8. Tickle, Glen (20 January 2015). "Artist Benjamin Bennett Films Himself Sitting and Smiling for Hours at a Time in His Series 'Sitting and Smiling'". Laughing Squid. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  9. Parra, Sara (19 January 2015). "Sitting and Smiling is Just the Tip of the Creepy Internet Iceberg". New Media Rockstars.
  10. Reilly, Nicholas (23 January 2015). "This man is filming himself smiling for four hours a day". Metro.
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