Having matured in a new age of information, I am interested in exploring the nature of social media, and its impact on individuals, culture, and external media. As the new currency of attention permeates and pollutes the networks of social interaction online, new forms of imagery designed to perpetrate this new economy. Most of my work centres around utilising these images in order to invite viewers to join me in questioning the content we consume.

For the past four years I have been studying and honing my practice at Glasgow School of Art through their BA Painting and Printmaking programme. In this time my practice has matured well beyond what I believed I was capable of. Currently, my main focus is on a manner of painting which utilises found images from a variety of social media content. As someone who has spent a large portion of their life consuming this content, I am often intrigued by those bizarre images that can break through the walls of your feed. Sometimes these can be uncanny comical exploitations of a pet, other times these could be an unprompted display of a gruesome accident from a nondescript far off place. The images I chose to use are carefully pulled from the noise. Conceptually, I like for the images I use to each communicate specific curiosities of the online experience.

However, for my degree show I have chosen to produce an installation in the form of a Hong Kong diner. “通往香港 (Leading to Hong Kong)” is a fully immersive and interactive work, with visuals, audio, scent, and actors. I hope people will stumble across it following their nose to be surprised with the contrast of the space. Entering into a seemingly new geographical location, being asked to make sense of their stark change in sensory stimulation. They then must assess the truth of their surroundings. This much I expect from every visitor. Further, I hope they will begin to consider the condition of truth and reality as it is presented to them. To what means are their individual realities manipulated by powers beyond their control. How does media influence their perception of truth and the world around them. Taking this theme from the digital and 2D out to real space, I hope has a stronger impact than my paintings. Although possibly in a less direct way.

The work is clearly an appropriation of a culture which is not mine, to produce the work I have been excellently advised by friends who do have a claim to this culture. The appropriation itself I find is an interesting point. I aim for the work to be as respectful and honest a representation of a Hong Kong diner as it can be. But to do so, I must acknowledge it first, as must each viewer. With this, the notion of appropriation acts as a red herring, an alternative conclusion to be drawn of my work. To be fooled and offended by media enough to cause division between you and the person next to you, is the desire of the current digital landscape. Rotting from within its façade of connection, the aim of the facilitators of social media sites is to divide. As my work intends to ask people to assess the truth within their own lives, the appropriation points to the purveyors of division. Will people be able to look beyond a perceived point of division, to a call for unity.

I must give a very big thank you to Jesse for all his help in the production of this work, and additionally to Jesse’s family, and the GSA tutors and technicians, who also had a big hand in this show.