The project looks to explore the idea of the second self, the alter ego; the other i. Interested in the idea of pretense, I want to look into the science behind multiple personality disorders. Mimicry is prevalent in modern day society with intertextual advertising vital to linking products to emotion, therefore guaranteeing a certain degree of success - how could we possibly have a break without eating a kitkat? If Carlsberg were to make the perfect woman...Prominent animated series are built upon the notion of mimicry and intertextuality - Simpsons anyone? However, as mimicry revolves around satire, the alter ego revolves around a much more sinister state of mind. Here the darker side to mimicry is not intended, rather acted out in a subconscious that is totally serious and uncontrolled.
Now, before losing you to the depths of science, and myself, what I am getting at is that there is an element of control about mimicry, whereas schizophrenia is a medical condition. This is what makes mimicry more interesting to myself to explore visually. What drives people to feign certain things? It is after all a conscious thing.
People tell white lies all the time, be it to fit into a social situation or to escape punishment etc. But interestingly, in todays consumer society - fattened through constant advertising and sexualization of everything - there is a danger for a loss of touch, a loss of the real . Through online networking sites and online dating we are given the opportunity to build up a separate identity, something that we wish ourselves to be, rather than the true self. I encourage you to take a look at this talk by Philip Rosedale on Ted about Second Life - a virtual world where you create your virtual avatar, build a house, job and lifestyle using REAL LIFE MONEY. Is the virtual world becoming a little too much here, is it threatening to take over reality - are the people addicted to these games distancing themselves from life responsibilities? Are we too interested in being someone else? Having the most friends? In telling these small social lies this have we damaged the ability to communicate properly?Relationships can rise and fall at the click of a mouse and in a world where we exist online as something we are not is this not damaging our state of mind?
There is a scientific condition for this type of compulsive lying, be it for medical assistance; Munchausens syndrome - named after the tales of possibly the-most-interesting-liars-of-all time Baron Munchausen who told a series of outrageous and fantastical tales about himself, which later turned out to be unfounded. The books were made into a number of various films, the most successful was the 1988 version directed by a certain Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) into an image rich production. The film perfectly captures the fantastical aspects of the Baron Yet these people, like the Baron himself are aware of their actions, they just crave the attention. This relates to social networking. Do people rely on their pretend identities to take the flak of their real world failings? Do our multiple personalities enhance or destroy our lives? What happens to these people when they are found out? Why do these people do these things?
Through this project I hope to answer some of my own questions posed here about identity, because it interests me, it involves me and the possible routes through society.
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