Scrolling
April 2025
“Scrolling” is about the convergence between Humanity and technology. Writing this as a 20 year old, I have had 24/7 access to a smartphone since I was 11 years old, and social media since I was 13. Scrolling through social media has become more than a function, more than an activity, and more than a habit. The social media algorithm is predatory to its user, collecting data to turn into targeted advertisements and keep us tuned in. But, in the new Tech-led economy, a social media presence is more expected of us than ever. With a whole host of creative jobs being taken over by AI, many artists are pushed into jobs creating “content” created to fit into this scrolling mechanism.
Through the video, the subject is scrolling through social media on a phone which, in an unsettling turn, turns into a pile of bloody meat. This pushes the cell phone from non-living (manmade) to non-living (dead). As this progresses, the subject also begins to take on computer-like qualities. At the end of the video, the subject, now implied to be fully machine, eats/blends the meat into a dark red liquid. This symbolizes the urge to rid yourself of social media or technological advancements entirely, even if your life has already been permanently transformed by its presence.
Major inspirations for this piece include Martin Scorsese’s 1967 short film “The Big Shave”, Brian De Palma’s 1974 rock musical “Phantom of the Paradise”, and the “Butcher” cover for The Beatles’ 1966 album “Yesterday and Today”.
Change
February 2025
“Change” is about being confronted with change (political, social, economic) in the larger world, and making changes to your own appearance to cope. As a teenager, I used hair dye and piercings to signal to the world around me that I refused to conform. But over time, I found myself marking each era of my life with my looks— remembering my time working in fast food each time I saw pictures of my green-and-black skunk hair, my first serious breakup as the time I began growing a mullet, and cutting off my rat-tail when I reached 1 year on testosterone like it was a ceremonial necessity. In times of hardship or unpredictability, I find myself reaching for this strategy as a way to start a new “era” of my life. I think this is common for a lot of people in the tattoo/body mod community, which I learned over the year I worked reception at a tattoo shop. In this video, I use footage from my coworker at the time, Crystal Rose at No Egrets Tattoo. She’s an amazing award-winning artist with a super diverse portfolio, and I strongly believe you can find few artists as good as her in Middle TN. Seriously, book with her. Coincidentally, my time at the tattoo shop ended about a week after I filmed this video, so the wound of change was very fresh while I was editing.
Inspirations for this video include David Lynch, for introducing me to the esoteric style of video art/film-making I’ve come to love, but especially his 1977 film “Eraserhead.” Another is the video game “FAITH: The Unholy Trinity”, by Airdorf Games, for piquing my interest in using the speak-and-spell voice.