Reaction (2009) is a exploration and response to the mediated self in contemporary culture. In it, young men watch and react to performances in violent viral videos from shock-sites and post their reactions to YouTube. The videos are then appropriated by the artist and edited in Final Cut Pro. The viewers of the videos become performers themselves as a result of their awareness of the recording devices used to create the reaction video. The position of the gaze becomes blurred due to the multiple layers of interaction within a singular video: initial performer (whom we do not see), audience then also assuming the role of performer, and the fourth degree removal viewing audience (presumed to be the self). Whom is on display? Is this phenomenon a product of desire for celebrity, which perhaps, is the only way to truly exist in a mediated world of multiple selves? Is social matter and its behaviors influenced by the gaze which we place upon it as observers or participants?
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On first read I found the intro to be concise, the middle to be informative and insightful, and the end to be somewhat repetitive. Use "an" before exploration in the first sentence. Consider eliminating "and react to" from the second sentence since their reactions are mentioned in greater detail at the end. The colon is correct, but the list lacks parallel structure. Consider making each item a short sentence and use semicolons to separate. The inclusion of questions at the end of a statement invites dialogue. Since the work is also a means of instigating dialogue, it appears you are trying to augment the work with the questions which shapes the work for the reader and suggests that the work is incapable of posing these questions alone. I think the work is strong enough to pose these questions without having to prompt the reader.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Chris on this one. You're on the right path.
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