Laís Pontes
Laís Pontes
artist statement
Born Nowhere is a social media art project that uses Facebook as a tool of interaction to capture how the change of a person’s facial features, expression or physiognomy, can affect the observer’s interpretation of someone.
By using self-portraits and modifying them via digital techniques, the photographer transforms facial characteristics, giving herself a new personality. The digital images are then posted on Facebook, only with the caption "Born Nowhere" and no further information provided. Viewers are invited to provide their interpretation on each photograph, thereby creating a unique persona with its own name and characteristics. The description of each new character is influenced by what psychoanalysts call “projection”, that is, the viewer’s background, reality and fantasies.
After receiving several comments about the new character, the photographer creates its bio inspired by her first motivation and viewers’ perceptions.
According to some theories of personality each individual is the result of the interplay of 3 factors: what the person is, what he or she wants to be, and what others believe this person is.
What one sees is what one wants to see.
what do you love about the MFA program at SAIC?
The freedom and support from the high-quality faculty to embrace our ideas and make them real and true.
anticipated graduation date: 2014
