Lesly's Self Portrait

From Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle, Chapter 1 (2002 translation)

- “The spectacle is not a collection of images; it is a social relation between people that is mediated by images.”

- “When the real world is transformed into mere images, mere images become real beings-figments that provide the direct motivations for a hypnotic behavior.”

- “As long as necessity is socially dreamed, dreaming will remain necessary. The spectacle is the bad dream of a modern society in chains and ultimately expresses nothing more than its wish for sleep.”

- “Separation is the alpha and omega of the spectacle. The institutionalization of the social division of labor in the form of class divisions had given rise to an earlier, religious form of contemplation: the mythical order with which every power has always camouflaged itself.”

In my project, I am addressing self identity. How I see myself in my eyes and how everyone views me through their eyes. Social media plays a role in our identity because we are being controlled by the media that influences us to make us who we become. Media has been a significant part of our daily lives. It totally affected our culture in positive and negative ways. There are so many positive impacts of social media on our culture. Social media improved creativity for our society by interacting with other people and sharing new ideas and opinions. Basquiat is one of the most acclaimed contemporary artists of his generation. Basquiat influenced me on the importance of self-expression and not limiting myself due to lack of knowledge or skills. For my project, I have several images that I view myself differently in every image. For example, in some images, there is a different sense of fashion that I am wearing because fashion is also a way for me to express myself, my identity, and how I am feeling. The clothes we wear on a daily basis express our emotions and personalities. It shows others how we see ourselves.