"I invented 
Facebook"

Sharing own private images to be able to see others

In order to see the exhibition What about Tourism Forbidden for Voyeurs, the public had to bring their own private tourist photos as “password” for entering the exhibition place. In this way, the artist was creating solidarity and common ground for mutual sharing of private information. To agree on exhibiting one's own private photos in order to see other people's private photos is very similar to the privacy policy on Facebook and other social media platforms, where only those who have a profile can see other users profile.

Self-representation with images  
Each person would choose a picture with great care since it would be the image that represents them.  The picture would often be hanging on once clothes. Wearing one's own picture visibly in a public sphere leads us to questions and reflections regarding self-representation and its interpretation within different social groups, cultures, professions, and generations.

Circulation of images

The circulation of the photos and text was in the meantime illustrating how statements can become mobile and re-contextualized based on a place and time they appear. Each time generating a new dialogue. Similar to the function of “sharing” on Facebook, where the image and text content by in a single click can move from one context to another. 
Many times the “wall” for moving exhibition were also moving. The walls for the artworks could be bodies of the participants and their moving around the public space would constantly change the context for the exhibition as well as the interpretation of artworks. 

Adding textual statement to the image on a changing exhibition wall

Apart from pictures, the public would also share “statements” about different social, cultural or political topics. During the exhibition showing the photo series Tourist in Thailand, the visitors were asked to write a short text next to the picture they brought before hanging it on the wall where it automatically became part of the actual show. There was a natural regular  "update" taking place as a participative process in the now: a dynamic process without top-down curating, so the content and aesthetic of the wall were changing with new visitors coming and bringing new content. Just like the wall on Facebook where the most actual, new and fresh posts are on the top.

The images were accompanied by text, not as a subtitle or a curatorial explanation, but an embedded element linked to the photo. The text is an immediate expression very sensitive to the mood at the given moment. In Facebook, we also see the combination of textual expressions like status or statement linked to images. 
 

The design of the space for expression

The size and form of the permitted space for expression is part of the esthetic and conceptual decision made by the artist. The contributions from the audience were all put in A4 plastic sheets. This predefined design element was part of the art format as much as the fixed formats of the Facebook images are unchangeable elements of its design. 

The art of collecting private images

After the exhibitions and interactions the used private pictures would, with a permission from the owners, become part of artist's archive.
Thierry Geoffroy/ COLONEL is like Facebook very interested in collecting and organizing the images received in the process. This database is a growing collection that reflects the people, time and the place. The collection is in itself an artwork, but it can also be used as source information for researching and studying further.