When you enter the space, you are encouraged to play any of the instruments. Your playing will be recorded and played for the duration of the day. You are encouraged to interact with any of the instruments any way you please (short of completely destructive).
This project began with doom scrolling. In the past few years Youtube and Instagram have introduced functionality similar to TikTok: an endless stream of short form videos. To keep viewers engaged, Social Media companies have developed advanced “algorithms” that recommend similar content, based on what you like, share, and view. I consciously avoided TikTok, knowing that I am susceptible to addictive behavior, however with the introduction of what is essentially TikTok into other platforms, I still end up watching hours of content. Through this installation, I attempted to create a meditation on my interactions with virtual spaces, highlighting the feedback loops of social media through a series of audio feedback loops created through user interaction and live video feedback blended with footage screen recorded from people’s social media feeds. Social media continues to shape our language, thoughts, and identities. This project does not seek to answer the ethical questions of algorithmic recommendations and socialization in virtual spaces (which there are many), but rather an embodiment of what it feels like to live in our current virtual reality.
Thank you to my 491 advisor Dr. Rachel Rome; to my professors Dr. Ryan Page and Lee Gilboa; to those who provided me with screen recordings of their social media; Steven Iammarino and Kaden Smith for providing me with instruments to break; friends and family-- Romy, Oliver, Sylvie, Ezra, Nora, Charlie, Colin, Scotty, Luca, and many more.