Ellen Skerratt

Based upon a 20th-century theoretical text by Guy Debord, my work explores his proposition that society has become obsessed with appearances and as such, are mediated by images. I particularly relate this with self-portraiture in conjunction with online social platforms. Specifically, how individuals within western society postposed, edited and filtered (spectaculars) images of themselves on social media to meticulously craft and appease their self-image.



Due to this, my practice situates itself within discourse relating to the traditional self-portrait and the ‘selfie’ – a coined term referring to a photo someone takes of themselves typically with a smart-phone camera. In this digital age, these images are instantaneously consumed on a global scale, making them more documentation and superficial in contrast to the traditional self-portrait, which by nature I consider a more in-depth and layered expression of an artist’s perception of themselves contextualised within a specific art form. Hence, my exploration of this project is an investigation into bridging the gap between the self-portrait and the ‘selfie’, which I refer to more broadly as a spectacularised image.



Within my work, I continually use my own experiences and perspective as a narrative to examine the theme. Due to this, I investigate a range of influences, possible content ideas and thoroughly experiment with varying mediums until I focus on ones which best convey my intentions. In this project, those mediums were edited photography and moving image, which were used to subvert the spectacularised images one makes by revealing the process behind creating and curating such images.



Using these mediums also enabled me to incorporate layers into my work, which mirrors the complexities of a traditional self-portrait and a sense of extended time. I utilised text and symbols synonymous with mainstream social media platforms in a way which highlights its involvement as a catalyst of Debord's proposition. I manipulated the recognisable fonts with my own wording to further enhance my subversions to the viewer. My final compositions encourage reflection on how one participates within this spectacle through the revealing of my own vulnerability. It was also important to me that my practice avoided the stereotypes of generalising social media as inherently negative; while I came close to playing into this, I feel my work takes a more empathetic stance to the topic.