Would you make a public confession?

Commuters in Toronto are learning a lot about people they've never met thanks to a public confession project. (Confessions Underground/Vimeo)

Commuters on one of Canada's largest subway systems are getting an unexpected glimpse into the lives of strangers.

Several unidentified people have recorded short confessions to share on screens above the Toronto Transit Commission's busy platforms.

While waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel, riders might see the faces and hear the voices of remarkably forthcoming strangers.

"I can't go a day without using heroin."
"I wet the bed until I was 13 years old."
"The secret is I want them to catch me. I actually love singing."

John Loercher and Laura Mendes, the artists behind Confessions Underground, describe their project as "part social experiment, part public intervention."

The short videos are running every ten minutes until July 15.

Willing participants were invited to record their on-camera confession, without having to reveal their names, for broadcast on 300 digital subway platform screens.

Confessions Underground from Labspace Studio on Vimeo.

Although the admissions are only airing in Toronto, anyone with a burden to disclose and an internet connection could have contributed through the online portal, which closed on July 1. The artists also recorded messages using a movable booth, which visited Chicago, Montreal, Buffalo and Toronto.

Confessions Underground is not the first to offer people a chance to unburden themselves publicly. The popular website PostSecret publishes the postcards of strangers every Sunday.



CBC News recently collected the testimonies of students at a Quebec highschool, who revealed their thoughts and feelings about bullying using a video booth.

Although the students were hesitant at first, the final results were heartfelt and candid.

Do you think it's cathartic to reveal secrets and burdens to strangers? Have you ever tried it? Do you enjoy reading or listening to the confessions of others?




(This survey is not scientific. Results are based on readers' replies.)