GIFs have a legacy on the web that far exceeds the participation of most netizens. The file format was introduced by CompuServe in 1987—well before the first browser, Netscape Navigator, was introduced in 1994. Basically, they’ve been around forever.
For that reason, it’s exciting to see durational projects that have employing the file format for almost as long. Curt Cloninger‘s Playdamage, is an ongoing webpage project that was started in 2000, runs through today, and at the time of this writing includes 114 GIFs. Each GIF is assigned its own page, and a looping song to match. Essentially, it’s a play list that tracks evolving aesthetic and musical tastes over the course of 16 years.
It’s a fun website to peruse, if for no other reason than its archive. Also, Cloninger does deserve some credit for putting himself out there. Brave is any soul willing to out themselves as a U2 fan.
