The Simulated Self
“We are sedated and seduced by images and on the other hand ruthlessly operationalise ourselves via their means, creating curated doppelgangers who are more palatable than our real, flawed, selves. On every level – personal, social, political, optical – the space between reality and fantasy is vastly reduced, and may one day disappear.” Jean McNeil,‘The Fate of Space’ (2020)
The Simulated Self is a project I’ve created in an attempt to raise questions about perception in the digitally saturated age we live in and how this effects our sense of self and the world around us. Through self-portraiture – some of which are shot at the hours of twilight, others, their time of day, and space, is intangible – and images which I like to call meditations, I have tried to create a work of fiction, a universe which I hope the individual looking into can use as a catalyst for thought.
“What lies ahead is a disturbance in the perception of what reality is; it is a shock, a mental concussion, and this outcome ought to interest us. Why? Because never has any progress in a technique been achieved without addressing its specific negative aspects. The specific negative aspects of these information superhighways are precisely this loss of orientation regarding alterity (the other), this disturbance in the relationship with the other and with the world. It is obvious that this loss of orientation, this non-situation, is going to usher in a deep crisis which will affect society and hence, democracy.” Paul Virillio, Article in ‘La Monde Diplomatique’ (1995)
Our ability to share and communicate information via these means, via the portal of the screen, has had a profound effect on our perception of ourselves and the world. I would like these images to serve as a reminder of this, because in such a world I believe it is increasingly difficult to know one’s true self; whatever that may be; and in failure to do so, appreciate our existence.