The Thousands

The internet is a thousand miles wide and one inch deep. I’m not sure where I read that – somewhere online I guess. This Long Century approaches the levelling of the information playing field in a lateral, intelligent manner, providing authoritative content while encouraging further investigation.

The gist of it is: creative people across all disciplines are invited to share something personal about their work. Each month, five names are added. It works like a particularly good group show, with the plain white walls of the screen and a simple listing of contributors. Naturally, you choose the names you recognise first. Then you begin to pick randomly, and this is when the exploration really begins.**Some contributions are initially perplexing, such as Ricky Swallow’s essay on his favourite music, or Blixa Bargeld’s comprehensive listing of household detritus. On closer inspection though, they are unique and telling, compelling and meaningful. Stripped of all bullshit, This Long Century is an egalitarian, ever-expanding resource of inspiration. It can be pored over page by page like the amazing book it will undoubtedly become, or dipped into at random to glean solid gold. As Harry Crews says: Put your ass on the chair.