Creating new work in a pandemic
DIGITAL MAGPIES
The myth of the magpie served as the theme for our creative residency this past December. You might be thinking, how does a dance company embark on a creative residency in the middle of a pandemic? The answer: very carefully and with lots of WI-FI.
Even though this had been on the books for a while, it felt like a radical step in artmaking. The pandemic made us slow down and reorganize. It made us confront ourselves in ways we never have before. We’re looking at how non-profits and art-making organizations are structured, how they contribute or respond to inequities, and what art-making post-pandemic entails. We have a lot of work to do and we are looking forward to sharing our process with you along the way.
Perhaps one of the most obvious themes that came up for us in 2020 was the digital space. Social media and the internet have always been intriguing subjects, but with COVID-19 sending all of us into our own little secluded corners, the digital space and how we engage with it became more pervasive than before. BODYART participated in its first virtual festival. Zoom became our new best friend. We even started a blog. (Hi reader!) This felt like a perfect time to investigate the digital self, the ways in which we curate our digital identities, and the strategies of engaging with others in a digital space. During our creative residency we began shaping a new work that we’re calling Digital Magpies.
The small black and white magpie is widely considered one of the most intelligent animals in the world. It’s most famous for stealing beautiful, shiny objects for its nests. But would it surprise you to learn that its thieving reputation is a lie? In fact, magpies feel quite the opposite about that shiny engagement ring you’re wearing. In a 2015 study Scientists actually noticed a consistent neophobia in Magpies (a fear of new things). The birds exhibited a "wary behavior and feeding less in the presence of [shiny items]."
The myth of the thieving magpie has existed and persisted for generations. And even after this study came out, no one has shown any interest in amending it. Perhaps the magpie is the best example of human projection and narrative. We have this amazing ability to create and shape stories, then spread them like wildfire. We have used the magpie as a literary device and as a metaphor for one’s desire to collect and hoard beautiful things. Even if it’s not true, it’s alluring to believe that our own desires are reflected back to us in the natural world. It is comforting to believe that we aren’t alone in our covetous desires, that animals feel it too. “It’s a natural occurrence,” we say. Perhaps the myth of the magpie exists to assuage the conflict (maybe even guilt?) we feel for our desire to take what isn’t ours, to take what catches our eye, to adopt it, weave it, and call it ours.
I think most of us build our digital identities very carefully. All are curated and collected with purpose. Only certain pictures are posted, liked, commented, tagged, or shared. Not only do we want to put our best foot forward but posting the wrong thing at the wrong time can have devastating (even if sometimes deserved) consequences IRL. All of us are guilty of projecting differently than what/who we are. Social Media is relatively acknowledged as a collection of fiction and fantasy. But when one spends more time online than IRL, the question becomes what is your “real” self? What are the qualifiers to determine/define what’s “real”? Jaded users would say everything on social media is fake and dangerous — that it’s ruining our relationships, our government, and human interaction. But others find freedom. Especially for marginalized communities, one could argue that the digital world is the only safe space to express your true self. When your sexuality is punishable by death, when your extremist family doesn’t recognize your gender-identity, when your disability prevents you from leaving the house, or say a pandemic has limited your mobility and in-person interactions… what then is authentic? Is the you IRL the end all be all qualifier for authenticity?
Like it or not, we are digital magpies. We curate, collect, build, and share our online identities with the world. We are a collection of online profiles that fight for dominance and visibility in the digital space.
This post is the first in a series as we continue investigating these questions and developing this work. We’re glad to have you at the table. Let us know what you think below, how does your digital self align with your physical one? Is social media dooming us all or is it the tool for freedom?