CTM Festival Berlin

The Spectacle of Social Media: #artificial is hybrid piece with Celina Collot that seamlessly merges video-based art with real Instagram posts tagged with #artificial. Combined with generative sound created from an iPhone notification, the piece utilises Instagram’s API to delve into the intersection of Jacques Rancière’s concept of ‘The Emancipated Spectator’ and Guy Debord’s ‘Society of the Spectacle’, within the realm of social media visual culture. This piece invites participants to reconsider their role as active interpreters on social media platforms, challenging the conventional mode of passive image consumption. The immersive experience underscores user agency, urging participants to transcend mere scrolling and engage with social media as a space for meaningful interpretation and contribution. In dialogue with Nam June Paik’s ‘Participation TV’ (1963), where viewer interaction transformed TV screens through sound, our piece reframes social media as an interactive art space.