My Self in That Moment

The Substation invites Melburnians on a multi-modal journey to explore the fragmented and distributed self in the digital age in the profoundly original work titled My Self in That Moment. Developed by Chamber Made, the performance features a symphony of 49 tablets, sound and a live solo vocalist to re-create the vastness of the digital realm. 

Say you are gearing up for a wild night of drinks and dance. You take some mirror selfies of your potential looks and circulate them with your small network of confidants for wardrobe approval. You post one of those photos on Instagram (or a Facebook story, if that is your vibe). Say you work in media and lend your voice for a recording, which is re-used as a voiceover clip again and again and again. 

These examples hopefully help to illustrate how bytes of our ‘self’ are fragmented and distributed within the enormous – and ever-expanding – digitised space. 

My Self in That Moment positions this premise to explore themes surrounding identity, agency, ownership and the myriad systems that are at play when it comes to data distribution. Recorded interviews by vocalists Jessica Aszodi, Alice Hui-Sheng Chang and Tina Stefanou will beam from 49 devices imbuing a sense of ubiquity, just like data. 

‘Digital devices are central to how we project ourselves into the world today. They create an ever-present and ever-multiplying archive of the self that can be shared and manipulated, raising questions about how much agency each of us has,’ comments Tamara Saulwick, Artistic Director, Chamber Made. 

The ability to replicate, deconstruct, change and distribute a person’s image and voice presents a swathe of social and personal possibilities and conundrums.

Fascinating, highly artistic and futuristic, My Self in That Moment is on stage at The Substation until Saturday 30 July. Get your tickets online. 

My Self in That Moment
The Substation, 1 Market Street, Newport, 3015
On stage until Saturday 30 July 2022
chambermade.org/works/myselfinthatmoment

Images: Sarah Walker