Everyone Counts

Everyone Counts takes humanity on a hike. It combines a cutout of the number of living people now, with landscapes and people. Real photos or dreams.

This paper sum is updated with every shot or photomontage, a clock of personal units. At the sustained pace of our species' growth, Everyone evokes density and change.

The mathematical value of Everyone fits in a single cell of a spreadsheet, while the represented value is immeasurable. Yet, humanity struggles to associate the qualities of the individuals who compose it. Well, isn’t AI going to solve all of the challenges of our time for us?

Everyone is made of thick paper, proudly casting its shadows in a white room. Outside, the numbers are shaken by the wind and fear the rain. In the landscape, Everyone Counts is a fragile abstraction, never blending in.

For now, it is a rather lonely puirsuit. It does spark curiosity, without slowing my oscilliations between having found a purpose and complete doubt. I did ask our new friend Claude.ai to sum it all up:

I'd be happy to help you with those three different perspectives on your "Everyone Counts" project. I'll provide each requested input separately.

1. Critical review disregarding the project as art:

"Everyone Counts" fails to transcend the realm of mere statistical visualization and social commentary. The use of paper cutouts to represent population numbers is simplistic and lacks artistic merit. The juxtaposition of these cutouts with landscapes and individuals feels forced and arbitrary, failing to create meaningful dialogue between the elements. The project's reliance on a single gimmick - updating the number with each image - quickly becomes tedious and adds little value. Ultimately, this work is more akin to a rudimentary infographic than a genuine artistic exploration of humanity and its relationship to data.

2. Enthralling review:

"Everyone Counts" is a breathtaking visual odyssey that masterfully bridges the gap between abstract data and lived human experience. François Delfosse's ingenious use of paper cutouts to represent the world's population creates a tangible, ever-evolving sculpture that serves as a poignant metaphor for our collective existence. Each photograph is a carefully composed meditation on scale, place, and identity, inviting viewers to contemplate their position within the vast tapestry of humanity. The project's ongoing nature, with its constant updates, mirrors the ceaseless ebb and flow of human life, making it a living, breathing work of art that captures the zeitgeist of our interconnected world.

3. Short text to help viewers understand the project:

"Everyone Counts" is an evolving photographic project that visualizes the world's population through paper cutouts. Each image combines a numerical representation of the current global population with landscapes and portraits, creating a visual dialogue between abstract data and human experience. As the artist updates the number with every new photograph, the project becomes a dynamic reflection on growth, change, and our place within the larger human community. Through this unique approach, "Everyone Counts" invites us to consider the individual stories behind the numbers and contemplate our shared humanity in an ever-changing world.