Filardi states that, "We form narratives by reconnecting/searching for old friends, etc... In past issues of privacy existed, people were less open to sharing personal information.....Surfing networks has become social default. We prefer to surf the net over watching T.V." Another component of the work is an investigation of the use of marketing tools within these social networks, as people have shifted from watching television and bearing the commercials to using the Internet as source of this spectator entertainment.
Wonderful Life is a satirical web narrative, which has been adapted to social network platforms. Liz used taken several websites to create the project to create the narrative. She says, "The only way that you can really consume the story is by becoming friends with the character. Even if you don't know these characters who you just became friends with on Facebook by investigating you get caught up in the story the same way that you get caught up in the story of what your friends are up to." The project unfolds over a fixed, five-week time period. This parallels the real time frame for the characters, who participate in daily blogging while being paid to consume a daily health regiment called Wonderful Life. The goal of the product is to discover the meaning of life. The blogging not only documents the experience of taking the product, but also provides a narrative hook for the viewers.
While Liz often relies on the public as her audience and participants in her work, she also puts herself out there, as in the case of Facetbook. This project is achieved through Firefox web plug-in that allows her to change and archive her Facebook profile. This project speaks to created identity or the multiplicity of identity. It emphasizes the ability to project a story about oneself through social networks by constructing a character and story for people to follow Viewers take an invested interest in, even if secretly. This work connects to the work of Sophie Calle. The viewers have the ability to play detective or investigate Filardi's constructed narratives presented through Facetbook. Sophie Calle's work plays on vulnerability in both her role as an artist through her personal sometimes secret interactions that she has with her subjects. In this way, Filardi's work turns the table on the viewer, while she allows the world to take on spectator roles. She is also putting a mirror to the public, commenting on the behavior that is delivered through these social networks.
The work Status Grabber is a service for people to make a brief statement over the phone. In order to update people on their status on behalf of a friend who has requested the service, they are phoned and asked to make a statement. This act alone is somewhat superficial/limiting in what the participants can share. It also parallels to the social networks in the way that it speaks to the limitations of really giving true information in online social arenas. People want to believe that they are engaging in genuine connections with friends/family members online, but there is only so far these interactions can go in the viral space of the internet world. I found the work ironic in the way that people were unlikely to reveal personal information through the telephone, even though there is such a hype around status updates online. I really enjoyed the humor that comes across in the prankster style that the worked is delivered and received.
black&white is an exploration of the term stalking, Filardi takes a historical case of criminal stalking and interplays the narrative with the idea of online stalking. Using a website interface that mimics Facebook, she creates two profiles for the characters involved in the Farley/Black case if Silicon Valley in the late 1980's which provoked California Anti-Stalking Law. The profiles provide insight into the story, while engaging viewers to participate in the act of stalking through their following of the story. It questions the notion of stalking all together.
Word Bank:
playful, humorous, ironic, participatory, communicative, connectivity, interactive, critical, analytical, narrative, imaginary, emotional, social engaging, privacy, boundaries, public, relational,
Links to other artists that relate:
Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher
Learning to Love You More
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