'Space-Out' Competition: Where People Do Nothing

Image: X/@Magikaaa

29 May 2024

South Korea holds a quirky yet profound ‘Space-Out' competition every year that celebrates doing absolutely nothing

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

Held in Seoul, it is a performance art event that aims to inspire weary city dwellers to take a break and do nothing

Image: X/@Pixics

The competition challenges the widespread belief that zoning out is a waste of time by rewarding the most spaced-out individuals

Image: X/@koryodynasty

Participants this year came from all over the world - including France, Nepal, South Africa, Vietnam, and Malaysia

Image: spaceoutcompetition.com

To win the competition, contestants have to sit still, be relaxed and remain spaced out for 90 minutes

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

Those who engage in conversation, check their smartphones, move around or fall asleep will be eliminated

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

Contestants' heart rates are checked every 15 minutes to ensure that they are in a state of chill

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

The winner is chosen based on the highest artistic score tallied by audience votes and a technical score based on their steady heart rate

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

The winner of the competition this year was Valentina Vilches, a Chilean psychology consultant living in South Korea

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

The event was first devised by a Korean visual artist named Woopsyang in 2014. To her, spacing out is a form of reward akin to material luxury

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

Since its inception, the competition has expanded beyond South Korea to cities such as Beijing, Rotterdam, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Tokyo

Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

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Image: thespaceoutcompetition/Instagram

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