artist statement- project 3

Check in On Me Sometime uses the grammar of social media to recontextualize the time spent on our phones.  The piece is inspired by a recent photo series by American photographer, Erick Pickersgill. The photographs are digitally altered images of people on their phones, however, Pickersgill removes the physical presence of the phone from each photograph. The visual impact is strong, and I felt that a similar concept could prevail nicely through video and sound.

Laura, the protagonist, spends an immeasurable amount of time in an apartment living room. While her phone is not physically there, it's presence exhibited through her behaviors. She repurposes old trends in the language of Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter. Her actions are verbalized, and spoken aloud, in the form of captions. While her voice is clear, confident, and lacks hesitation, her body language feels distant and unsure. 

The title Check in On Me Sometime is reactant towards the idea that we check in on many of our friends/acquaintances primarily through social media. Outside of the closer friends we see regularly, certain family members perhaps, partners, etc., most of our connections with others are activated only by social media. With this comes power- power for us to reclaim how others perceive us using our own self-curated forms of expressions. In my own life, social media has acted as a formative part of my sense of self. My confident presence in reality, in many cases, first came from the public validation of my online presence. My generation has grappled with this new form of expression, and we have to be careful not to use it as a crutch.

I  think it is very important for every person my age to take a break from social media. Spending every day with it can be healthy for the creative soul, but it can also create unhealthy pauses in our lives. Check in On Me Sometime shows this duality through the passage of time and through characterized ambiguity.