“Venus ex Machina” (⅓)

Oil and mirror paint on vanity mirror

26” x 34”

2024

 “Social media will tempt you to think you can (or need to) be omniscient, omnipresent, omnicompetent - in short, that you can be like God. Watch out: that’s the serpent’s oldest move” .-  Matt Smethurst

Part 1: Omnipresent

We all know how the evil witch gave Snow White the poison apple, but not without first consulting the Magic Mirror who is the fairest of all. “VenusxMachina” is a Snow White/Black Mirror adaptation with technology in place of magic as the poison apple and incidentally the forbidden fruit. As the title suggests, Venus ex Machina derives from the term “deus ex machina”, which translates as “god from the machine” and originated in ancient Greek theater. It is used to describe a “contrived plot line where an unexpected power or event saves a seemingly hopeless situation”. The quick fix in this story being the makeover that promises us happiness and status.

Aside from beauty standards, it reflects on the philosophical questions and moral implications of giving humans god-defying abilities of technology. In his article “TV Was About the World. The Internet Is About the Individual', author Douglas Rushkoff explains how we made technology about us. He points out that TV used to be an equalizer, a way to democratize information in real time, which made it possible for us to empathize with people outside our radar and with what’s going on in the world. On the other hand, the internet, with the use of algorithms, has turned into personalized echo-chambers that can become a breeding ground for biases and prejudice.

The world we live in today is arguably dystopian with a constant stream of messaging from social media, deep fakes, gene editing software, cosmetic surgery, and an artificial intelligence taking place of human models, and apps designed to calculate beauty based on an algorithm of genetic traits, facial symmetry, body proportions, and followers. The point however, is not to reverse-engineer the evolution of technology, because  while people often talk about the negative influence of technology and how it has become a part of us, something equally true is how technology is a reflection of who we are and how we define beauty. It is a matter of whether we consult a distorted mirror.

"Perfection" - Lempicka the musical

[BARONESS, spoken]
Come now Marinetti, I disagree
Isn't perfection the enemy?
True beauty lies in humanity
Imperfections and all

[MARINETTI, spoke-sung]
Sentimental woman
Next you'll tell me
"Beauty is truth and truth is beauty"
When you and I both know
Truth is often... ugly

[MARINETTI laughs in the background as the MALE STUDENTS sing]
In this new age of the machine
Man now can dream of perfection

About the series:

F[R]ICTIONAL is an exploration of subverted narratives and alternate interpretations, mythology and counter mythology, where fiction meets friction.

Exhibit notes, theater reviews, personal essays:

https://nicolelasquety.medium.com