Miranda July’s ‘Somebody’™: Technology in One to One Performance
In August 2014 artist Miranda July unveiled ‘Somebody’, a new form of instant messaging. Instead of the sender’s message instantly reaching the device of its recipient, it is sent to a Somebody app user nearby, who then delivers the message in person, complete with stage directions so they know how to deliver it. July pitched the concept to fashion house Miu Miu after they invited her to create a short film, with the idea that the film would be created only if the app would be too. After working closely with designers Stinkdigital, the fully functioning app was unveiled at Venice Film Festival alongside the premiere of the Somebody short film. July does not see the app as a replacement for modern forms of communication, but as ‘a far-reaching public art project, inciting performance and conversation’[i]. In this essay I examine how Somebody embodies the characteristics of the One to One performance genre, whilst also pushing the medium into new territory through its embracing and exploring of technology.
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