As technology continues to advance, the boundary between virtual and physical living becomes less clear. My thesis aimed to explore this boundary by examining it through the lenses of online social networking culture and gym culture.

These two trends, one virtual and one physical, have several correlations. Both are user focused and provide the opportunity to create a representation of oneself. Each also has elements of voyeurism and surveillance, isolation and connection, and a sense of the collective. Through a series of interventions that addressed both cultures, I questioned our interaction with each, and the mediation of the two.

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  • The art work I produced over the course of the semester was comprised of a series of projects that blended elements of online and gym culture, and investigated the motivations, behaviors, effects, and structures within each. The development of this work occured from two directions – some were based in the gym and brought in ideas of online culture, while others were web-based and incorporate elements of gym culture.
    
    The series of projects was formed through an experimental production process based on specific research. This process was comprised of my participation and observations within each culture, research investigating the various discourses relating to each, study of related artists and work, and iterative design, testing and critique of my own work. The series of experiments culminated in two large scale public installations.

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