videoCeri Wax 'Solo 2' by Enea ColombiBoy meets girl in an internet chatroom in Enea Colombi's nostalgic take on early days of online encounters for Ceri Wax.The video for Solo 2 sees a boy with an unusual appearance log into a site like Chatroullette in the late Noughties, seeing myriad faces before a deeper connection is made with a girl - who then starts to dance to the camera. Colombi highlights a moment of innocence, and the rarely discussed up-side of internet connectivity, while also hinting at the darker stuff."This music video was inspired by one of the digital phenomena that marked an entire generation: the world of random online encounters (Chatroulette + Omegle)," he describes. "These platforms began with noble intentions and eventually collapsed under their own contradictions. For a while, though, they offered a space for escape, for discovery - a place where one could adopt a second identity or simply be themselves."This is the story of a boy with a deformed appearance. Maybe he truly looks this way, or maybe it’s just the way he sees himself—a projection of his own deep sense of inadequacy. He longs for connection, for someone who can see beyond the surface.We were deeply moved by the words of Omegle’s creator: 'From the moment I discovered the Internet at a young age, it has been a magical place to me. Growing up in a small town, relatively isolated from the larger world, it was a revelation how much more there was to discover – how many interesting people and ideas the world had to offer.'In short, the Internet opened the door to a much larger, more diverse, and more vibrant world than I would have otherwise been able to experience; and enabled me to be an active participant in, and contributor to, that world. All of this helped me to learn, and to grow into a more well-rounded person. Moreover, as a survivor of childhood rape, I was acutely aware that any time I interacted with someone in the physical world, I was risking my physical body. The internet gave me a refuge from that fear...'"The music video was made with an extremely limited budget. We recreated the original 2007 Chatroulette interface (now radically changed) with the help of a small team of developers. Thanks to them, we were able to build a casting process involving volunteer participants who became part of this experimental narrative."