“Live in reality” discusses identity as constructed and performed and the loss of self. People’s posts on their social media accounts form their online identities, which are separate from their physical bodies. Our social media accounts, and what we post on these digital platforms, are extensions of our physical bodies; they are different but parallel identities. They are us but at the same time, they are not. The physical body is falling, fading, and drowning in the cyberspace. Where is the real me? Do I live in reality? Who am I? Where am I? I am a hybrid creature living in between physical space and virtual space. The “me” that lives in my social account is an idealized “me”. She is constructed by myself. She is an extension of my physical existence. She is not the real “me”, there are multiple “mes”, I am everywhere. I am constructed by people\’s memories, by people’s interpretations. My online identity is shaped by people’s comments, follower’s reactions, and my ideal, but where is the real me? In this performance, my role is “me” and also a representation of everyone.
Feixue Mei is an interdisciplinary artist based in Richmond, Virginia. She is fascinated by mass media and internet culture. Her work explores diverse media such as publications, videos, performances, illustrations, comics and installations, and examines how they may be used to address such context as globalization, cultural manipulation, language adaptation, intimate relation, as well as fluid identity.ARTISTS WEBSITE