ABOUT

Having a fascination for reality television I am interested in the accounts of those who have taken part and been unhappy with their portrayal, this is where both the power of the editor and the naivety of those that are hungry for fame is most evident. Contestants are aware of the nature of reality television yet willingly put themselves into a position of humiliation, only to look back and be dissatisfied with how they came across. Through interviews with my peers and years of watching reality television, I aimed to depict the kinds of scenes that appeal to the audience’s base interests, and the kind of moments that disappointed contestants would look back on and cringe. After discovering that photo cut-outs and stand-ins originated as stocks, I thought they were a fitting visual to encourage people to get themselves into a humiliating image created by me. Inviting my audience to enter the work I am playing the role of the editor, forcing them to stick not just their faces but awkwardly their arms and legs into the work for the sake of the photo. In some ways this is why the back of my cut outs is more important than the front, onlookers will be faced with awkward body parts in uncomfortable positions. "Don’t worry if they laugh, it will just be because of the costume", which is the title of the work, is a quote from Big Brother 6 contestant Kinga, who claimed that this is what the producers said to her before she entered the house, forcing her to wear a revealing costume.