Identity construction was the central research question for my thesis. My dissertation focused around the story of the star sign Gemini through the lens of the social construct, femininity. Investigating how the social construct transformed the visual culture and representation of the original narrative, it noted that as the society’s opinions on femininity changed; so too did the visuals. Nothing was completely fixed, just like identity itself.
Visualising this concept in a studio environment, the project looked at theories of identity formation and representation. Is the distinction between narratives of the real and narratives of fiction true or false? These representations are constructing reality. Society forms around pre existing social constructs that build our identity. However, nothing is concrete.
This project has taken the form of a library. We receive content continuously: mass media, social media, constitutional law, terms of service, user agreements. These multiple inputs construct us. We cannot move them.
These books are formed by machine and human interference. They are printed by a plotter, which could only perform what it was told to do. It created immovable items, books. Books carry knowledge and project the fixed presence of authority. However, while these books are printed, they are not fixed. They have been plotted in pencil.
Readers can choose a page, a line, anything in these books and erase the words until what is left on the page represents a fraction of their own life story; effectively portraying their identity.
