David Still is an identity donor who offers his personality online to anybody who wants to be him.
A recent immigrant to Almere, Netherlands, 32 years of old, David Still works as an IT consultant for a small but expanding start-up business that specialises in communication systems. In his spare time David works on his own personal website where he offers the use of his identity to other people. David Still is both the artist and the artwork, a cyber-persona created by an artist who built his personality, chose his image and maintains his story. David has rapidly risen in popularity with the site attracting interest worldwide, from USA today to Zip-FM in Japan. Those who write to David play the game, not knowing which David will reply to their queries, as for example in the case of a New York Times reporter who approached him for an interview.
In May 2002, the F.A.A.Q (Frequently Asked and Answered Questions) was inaugurated. This self-reflective part of the site requires that visitors both ask and answer the questions, highlighting the fact that each visitor is indeed playing the role of David Still, and this has the authority to reply to other visitors’ pressing questions providing tauting responses.
In March 2003, David Still had the opportunity to introduce his real life to his online existence. Hosted by the Cargo Gallery in Almere, in De Realiteit neighbourhood (home to David’s blue house), David Still celebrated his birthday, surrounded by family, friends and secret admirers.
He was nominated for a Webby Award in 2003 and in 2004, he was the recipient of the CYNETart Award in 2004 at the CYNETart Festival in Dresden Germany.