In our society, there is always pressure to be active and productive, but there is a global competition based on a completely opposite philosophy. To win, participants are required to do just one thing - nothing. Called the Space-Out competition, participants are required to do absolutely nothing for ninety minutes.
How did it all start?
According to a report by the Guardian, the competition first started as an art by Korean artist Woopsyang. The first-ever event was held in Seoul in 2014 as part of a performance art piece. It saw people space out for 90 minutes. Since then, the art has taken the form of a competition and has been hosted worldwide.
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What is the aim of the Space‑Out competition?
The contest about doing nothing is a way to help people realise the importance of downtime.
How are the participants judged?
“Every 15 minutes or so the judges would come to measure your heart rate. These approaches make you nervous,” a participant who entered the competition last October in Hong Kong told the Guardian, adding, “I could feel my heart beating faster, but I tried to see it as a way to practise acceptance – to notice those feelings of tenseness, and try not to force myself to relax.”
{{/usCountry}}“Every 15 minutes or so the judges would come to measure your heart rate. These approaches make you nervous,” a participant who entered the competition last October in Hong Kong told the Guardian, adding, “I could feel my heart beating faster, but I tried to see it as a way to practise acceptance – to notice those feelings of tenseness, and try not to force myself to relax.”
{{/usCountry}}Talking about the judging process, he added, "participants had to do stretches before settling down for 90 minutes. You have to sit there without any significant movement; you cannot sleep, make any noise or check your phone,” he continued.
Upon completing 90 minutes, the spectators vote for ten participants. The heart rates of the finalists are then measured before choosing the winner.
While talking about how he did absolutely nothing during the competition, the participant, who won last year, shared his secret hack.
“We all have wandering minds – my thoughts jumped from my family, to the sound of the wind in the trees, to the fan humming around us. But you just take note of them. You observe it, like seeing the clouds up in the sky and how they come and go.”