IkoStar

The Mirror Project - a site of loads of people taking photographs of themselves in the mirror, brainchild of Heather Champ who takes photos, does stuff for Flickr (I think) and dreams up world-changing ideas a good 6 years or so before anyone else does. 1999. The latter days of the 20th century. Roughly 650 million of the people on this planet weren’t even born yet.

As far as I’m aware, this is the first ever Web 2.0 site - user generated content and whatnot, and still going strong to this very day. I don’t even think it’s been given a makeover etc. A cultural artifact if ever I saw one - though not “of a time” exactly, on account of being well ahead of its time.

The photo above is of the unnervingly talented Sprouts from Swervedriver, taken during the making of this video :

Sound’s a bit scratchy, but you get the idea. Apparently they’re doing a comeback tour (ur ur) next year, which would be worth checking out. I hadn’t listened to this track in about 15 years and it gives me fucking goose-bumps man. This was the soundtrack for my life for a while, and very untidy it was.

Anyway, I think Heather Champ might be doing a tour as well - or at least giving a talk at Webstock down here in NZ in the New Year.

And before anyone says it - no, Web Dev is not The New Rock and Roll… I don’t know what is mind. Signs are though, what with the reforming of Led Zep, Swervedriver (who are easily comparable quailitywise), The Police, The Rolling Stones etc… I think The Old Rock and Roll is probably The New Rock and Roll. I mean Madonna’s last tour made a qtr of a billion dollars - and she’ rubbish.