Wk 1 – Hi, my name is…

Introductions are difficult. What does one share with a group of virtual strangers? What is too much information or not enough information? Who do I want to construct myself to be? Hi, my name is Monaliza, I like new-wave French cinema, bad romance novels, musicals, beer, James Franco etc. etc. – all facts spliced together to create some sort of identity.

In this respect, it’s fitting that the first project brief consists of self-portraits, a topic which is omnipresent in this day of selfie culture. This is an opportunity to share who we think we are, and one that I am enthusiastic, though a little agitated, to explore. Humans have a tumult of faces that they present to the world – the respective masks they wear when with their friends, their work colleagues, class peers… So which is the one that I reveal through this project?

Moving beyond the front camera of my i-Phone to represent myself through various forms has my mind bursting with ideas but it’s a challenge to pick the right few and to place the proper pieces together. Marie McGrory of National Geographic establishes in her article, ‘The Un-Selfie: Taking Back the Self Portrait,’ that “[you don’t] need to see someone’s face to learn about their essence,” which is a quite serene statement. All of the qualities, talents and interests that we embody make us the people sitting in this classroom today – we are not merely physical beings that can be understood at a glance.