Proteus Effect Editorial
Proteus Effect I: An altar fills the frame, containing a coiled snake, 3 stacked blob-like forms referencing stone cairns, a butterfly on a round mirror, a miniature laptop, an elastic tube and the moon tarot card. The flamboyantly colored items are positioned on an orange acrylic surface which sits atop a dizzying collage of abstracted imagery.
Proteus Effect describes a phenomenon where virtual stimuli mold and dictate an individual’s self-representation and perception; where a person’s cultivated virtual self (their avatar) and its set of idiosyncrasies inversely influences their behaviors. Derived from the Sanskrit word avatra, meaning “descent,” the term avatar first appeared in English in 1784 to mean an incarnation or human appearance of a deity, particularly Vishnu. From that celestial origin, the term’s meaning expanded beyond the religious and sacred, to signify an embodiment, or object of worship. Building speculative paracosms through photographic processes, I approach character creation as resistance, tapping into the folk, ancestral past for cultivating bold imaginaries. Through these images, I explore facets of the digital self navigating a malleable reality while being cognizant and critical of power structures that are encoded within technology that’s pervasive.
The digital is a realm populated with algorithmic biases; discriminatory facial recognition systems, censorship and surveillance. With the proliferation of bots, deep fake technology and lives subsumed by the lure of social media, the real and virtual are coalescing and becoming indiscernible. The imagery investigates how virtual spaces became deeply affective and integral to the composition of layered identities, agendas and ideologies.
Proteus Effect II: Layered portrait of Nova A; they appear pensive as their head arches to the left with a superimposed grid of small, square images of their fragmented and dissolving self-portraits appears on top, amalgamating together.
Proteus Effect III: Nova A's hands gently clutch a miniature laptop while typing on its keyboard, a red rectangle appears hovering in the middle of the black screen. Nova's hands and the miniature laptop are placed on a fluffy, faux fur carpet. Blue light drenches the composition.
Proteus Effect IV: Portrait of Nova A lying down on their stomach with feet up on a mattress bed with white pillows and bed sheet, inside a room with floor to ceiling wood panelling. Lurid fuchsia and green hues cover the surfaces. They (Nova) are interacting with a square orange acrylic screen which displays the silhouette of their avatar.
Proteus Effect V: Portrait of Nova A with AI facial recognition points to trace facial landmarks, edges, gradations, plastering their identifying features.
Proteus Effect VI: The photograph is a diptych, on the left frame Nova A takes a meta-selfie holding their phone at an angle, behind them is a reflective mirrored surface reflecting a live preview of them taking a selfie. Above them a reflective chrome orb appears, showing another reflection of them taking a selfie. On the right frame, a selection of fragmented mini square frames appear floating, each showing a selfie on Nova A, some with dissolved images of their avatar superimposed on the selfies.
Proteus Effect VII: A close up of Nova A facing the viewer with their head gently perched on their arm, their hair is lime green, they're wearing a textured navy blue blouse. Over their portrait, a tessellation of the text titled "aestheticization" in muted pink color with a futuristic typeface appears, filling the frame.
Proteus Effect VIII: Nova A clutches a miniature robotic figurine in their hand, ruminating while lying in bed on their stomach with feet up. They are wearing a pair of orange tinted goggle-like glasses. A granular, static-noise like frame with their avatar's image is superimposed over their face.
Proteus Effect IX: A phantasmagorical portrait of Nova A; drenched in pink, blue and green tones, they direct their gaze to the viewer, behind them their inverted reflection appears. Above them, their almost spectral hands touch an orb–conjuring, summoning, metamorphosing.
Proteus Effect X: A layered portrait of Nova A created using photographs and computer graphic renderings of their avatar. Nova's face is lit with saturated gradations of pink, yellow and purple hues, they have a pensive expression, their iris is golden and their long, wavy hair is a fusion of lavender and blue. The identifying features become slightly indeterminate from the digital layering.
Proteus Effect XI: A role playing game's stone structure forms a cross-shaped enclave with walls and no ceiling, bathed in lurid green hues. Four plastic hands are perched on an acrylic pedestal in the center. An ultramarine blue backdrop fills the negative space in the top half of the composition.
Proteus Effect XII: Miniature iMac screen with desktop screen visible and accompanying keyboard are slowly submerging and liquefying into a sea of static-y acidic, mint green hues with hints of fuchsia, blue and yellowish blown.
Proteus Effect XIII: Blue hued, hand of glory candle with each fingertip wick alight is mounted on top of a miniature laptop base with a reflective screen and a cd underneath, displayed on a bright orange surface.
Proteus Effect XIV: Hand clad with metallic-green gloves, covered with simulations of monarch butterflies holds a blue rose. Strokes of oneiric fuchsia hues envelope the composition.
Proteus Effect XVI: Golden figurine of the winged Egyptian goddess Isis, superimposed on a multicolor panel of leds and electric light beams.
Proteus Effect XVII: A red-hued effeminate, humanoid figurine stands upright with clenched fists.
Proteus Effect XVIII: A gnarly ghost cypress tree doused in a red hue, placed against a black background.
Photography & Creative Direction: Nasrah Omar | Subject of the portraits: Nova A
