was this the face
An interactive self-portrait
Emily Erekson and Jamie Erekson
Shown here exhibited on the Manhattan Bridge in October 2024, was this the face displays a transmorphing mosaic of outsourced selfies deconstructing the notion of identity. Framed beneath the composite image is a counter that answers specific prompts we routinely update on wasthistheface.org. Prompts range from "How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have I eaten this week?" to "How many times have I smelled my baby's head this morning?" Currently, it reads: "How many neurological tics do I have in a day?" (Emily has Tourette Syndrome.) This work serves as our artistic playground—a space to explore personal narrative and the liminal space between "Self" and "Other." How do we define ourselves when our image is pieced together from others? How do our narratives shape who we are? Can we ever truly understand the "Other," or are we always reflecting fragments of ourselves?
Commissioned by the New York State Council on the Arts, the Utah Division of Arts and Museums, and the Salt Lake City Arts Council.
Presented by DUMBO Improvement District, the New York State Department of Transportation, and the Salt Lake City Library.
