A Byte of Faith - '21

Artist Statement:

“A Byte of Faith” is a multimedia, time-based artwork exploring the consuming, entropic way in which my generation’s interaction with social media is often akin to the extremes of religious fervour. I started my process by investigating imagery within Catholic art, deconstructing iconic images such as the “Virgin Mary” and the “Three Wise Men” and adapted these ideas to fit a modern, technological milieu. I directed and filmed a performance piece using my friend as a model and created my digital animations on Procreate on my iPad. This collection of film and digital animation has been projected onto a laser-cut coloured Perspex triptych with the adhesive remaining, a reminder of our transient consumption of media. The patterns on the acrylic are the result of fusing traditional stained glass window design and technological imagery together: integrating the structure of a computer’s switchboard as a “connection” to faith. The central film itself was inspired by Cindy Sherman’s photography and her visual constructions of identity, inspiring my post-modern representation of the Virgin Mary. I have also embedded cultural references to Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” on the far-left panel, acknowledging the work as an expression of helplessness and lack of agency. My triptych should overwhelm and confront my viewers, realizing that they themselves are ensnared in this contemporary narrative of social media consumption.