"A kiss is something that you cannot give without taking, and cannot take without giving. The beauty of the kiss is that it translates into every language and religion."
A camera was mounted on a building at the Max Euweplein in Amsterdam, close to the Leidseplein, in the spring of 2006. Nothing that unusual in itself: after all, the city centre is already riddled with surveillance cameras. But this camera (or rather, webcam) is not there to guarantee public safety. It was installed with the express intention of fostering love. KissCam captures acts of love and distributes them on the Internet.
KissCam invites the public to share their love. Show your love for each other, call your beloved, send a message of love, arrange to meet your darling here, and kiss each other. All loving activities are broadcast via www.Kiss-Cam.com.
The website displays live images from the webcam 24 hours a day. Furthermore, screenshots of your own participation can be sent to the site. These are collected in the ‘gallery’. Instructions explaining how to make screenshots are also on the website.
KissCam is a work by A.P. Komen and Karen Murphy, and is part of the Kunst in de stad project, an initiative of the one-year Liefde in de stad project (Paradiso) realised in collaboration with SKOR.