2 September 2013

The Selfie Booth

The Selfie Booth questions the growing prevalence of selfies and how they are leading us to the belief we live in a more narcissistic society. Created by Artist Ivan Sikic, this is a live art installation that uses a large non-reversing mirror and projection of selfies posted on social media to show us our true selves. It is on at the Melbourne Fringe Festival Hub for the duration of the entire festival. Social media has opened up the question of identity, by giving people the power to decide how to portray themselves when sharing photos, updating their status or choosing to show the events they attend. Self portraits posted on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (known as "selfies") give the user the power to expose themselves in a pre-curated way, which is not always how they truly are in real life. Non-reversing mirrors (also known as true mirrors) are designed to make people look at themselves the way others see them in real life; not how we see ourselves in normal mirrors. Fringe Hub visitors get the opportunity to stand in front of a large non-reversing mirror and get a real, uncurated look at themselves, while a live feed of Instagram selfies is also reflected onto the mirror. Artist Ivan Sikic said "I was really struck by the way people are so invested in this curated version of themselves and how this contrasts to how others see us." After leaving The Selfie Booth, visitors are invited to submit "selfies" to their Instagram feeds with the hashtags #selfie and #selfiebooth, which will be projected through the work's live feed. "Sikic is a directorial imagination to watch...I will watch Sikic's further work with deep interest" - Alison Croggon, Theatre Notes http://ivansikic.com

The Selfie Booth VENUE Fringe Hub - The Warren, North Melbourne Town Hall 521 Queensberry St North Melbourne, Victoria 3051 DATES: 20-22 Sept, 24-29 Sept and 1-5 Oct TIME: 6.00pm - 10.00pm TICKETS FREE TO BOOK visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666 SHOW PUBLICIST Carly Shaw 0424 232 411 cshaw50@yahoo.com.au