The contemporary self could be said to be quantitative. We produce a constant stream of data that is collected, projected, and stored which determines our daily existence. To what extent has this ‘quantitative turn’ changed our understanding of self?
An individual adopts and shifts many identities in their lifetime due to multiplying factors such as race, gender, class and sexuality. These identities are then projected through different streams of data causing the individual to become quantitative. However what happens when we become a quantitative self? When we continue to project our identities into a stream of data, are we reflecting, or are we erasing our original self? My concept questions the authenticity of self, contrasting our biological identity and the quantitative reproduction of it.
These quantitative streams of data are significantly strong in contemporary society through the rise in social media. Trends like the ‘selfie’ and applications such as instagram and facebook encourage people to produce a stream of identities as they then become rewarded with a ‘like’ or ‘followers’. According to Cynthia Ching and Brian Foley in their book ‘Constructing the Self in a Digital World’ consider identity as an individuals engagement with technology. The text deeply explores the way humans construct their ‘digital identity’ through social media, focussing on the increasingly intimate relationship humans have with their online screens. The first chapter critically analyses an experiment among young children who were asked to construct a ‘digital journal’ about themselves. Although the children were young the results showed they had already grasped an understanding of self awareness and designed their journals to represent a certain persona of their choice. These results highlight the aspects of the ‘contemporary self’ which is influenced to edit, and control it’s representation. Chapter 2 goes deeper into the first study and focusses on the urban youth, asking two participants to complete a digital narrative about themselves. Again the results show the identities were both constructed through storytelling and reflection rather than raw authentic representations. Naturally this begins to raise the concerns surrounding a digital identity; such as multiple identities, femininity issues, fan identity and ultimately an unknown identity. The thought behind my first experiment came through this research and the questions it arose, in particular the ‘unknown identity’. I decided to mask the most recognizable feature of my identity; my face. Inspired by the selfie culture I glued the posts on my Instagram account to my face erasing my authentic self.
However it is not only in contemporary society that this idea of a ‘quantitative self’ has been reflected. Throughout history humans have reproduced their identities in ways such as numbers, signatures and collections. Within the government systems such as health and education individuals become a set of student numbers and medicare sets of data. This ultimately removes any attachment or trace of personality with the person. Inspired by the idea of a unique fingerprint as a way of recognition, for my second experiment I recorded all the sets of data that make me who I am and drew them all over my hand in attempt to mask my unique biological code. Artists for years have explored and addressed their multiple intersecting identities in their work. The 2001 artwork, ‘Breakdown’ by Michael Landy inspired me throughout my experiments, especially the last two. ‘Breakdown’ involved destroying all of Landy’s possessions and belongings until he had nothing and retuned to his biological self. It explores how collections also make us quantitative and work to control our identity and how others perceive us. Therefore for my last experiments I followed the theme of biological self masked by quantitative, and used teeth as another representation of authentic identity. I then collaged them with patterns and collections that represent me, questioning wether these are really reflections of me, or how I want people to perceive me. However unlike our material data, our social media selves cannot be al easily destroyed as our digital identity, once projected no longer belongs to us, but instead the network it’s published to.
My final work are the results of my experiments as I wanted to represent the quantitative self and the way it affects the understanding of self. Through my research I’ve come to acknowledge that becoming streams of data we ultimately erase our authentic identity. Therefore I expressed this by choosing three elements of the human body that distinguish us individually; the face, the fingerprint and teeth. I then masked each element with different streams of data that make us quantitative; social media, numbers and collections. Through my art making practice I’ve realized that although the increased quantitative turn has changed our understanding of self we have always aimed to control our identity and mask our authentic self. However the risk of becoming quantitative could result in losing control of your identity all together. My work is a reflection of the quantitative self permanently becoming who we are.
Ching, Cynthia Carter Foley, Brian J.. Constructing the Self in a Digital World. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
http://reader.eblib.com.wwwproxy0.library.unsw.edu.au/(S(krs4erelrztfflzlq5wp2ztv))/Reader.aspx?p=1024997&o=503&u=brnJmv%2f9HQsH7puZvHjOSA%3d%3d&t=1410830936&h=CFB6E6A6E22CAE9206EC37925B26E72869E33E11&s=26143053&ut=1531&pg=1&r=img&c=-1&pat=n&cms=-1&sd=2
MoMA. "Investigating Identity " MoMA Learning. n.p., n.d. Web. 16 September 2014.
http://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/investigating-identity/intersecting-identities
Walfrod, Leo . "LETTER FROM LONDON: Leo Walford on Break Down, Michael Landy’s recent Artangel project"artcritical. n.p., 2001. Web. 16 September 2014.
http://www.artcritical.com/blurbs/LWLandy.htm
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