For Life During Zoomtime I create grids of digitally-enhanced screenshots from different Zoom-based events, in order to evoke feelings of pandemic life experienced on screen, as well as the privacy issues that arise from it. I reimagine what Zoom could be.
We know how the Covid years have been. For too long we had no travel, no gallery openings, no face-to-face meetings with friends. The only way to spend time with a group of people was through Zoom. So we were thrilled to connect with family and friends, sign up for classes, and hear artist talks and webinars - all on screens. But we also got “Zoom fatigue,” and our feelings would keep changing.
For this project, I make screenshots of people at these Zoom meetings – some friends and acquaintances, others I’ve never met. And me. Using screens as source material is often part of my practice, and I am inspired by new tools and new technology. I enhance the faces and remove distracting backgrounds. Then, one face at a time, I build new grids on my computer, adding text to further examine our lives online.
While this work is meant to explore our varied feelings about living virtually, it is also meant to challenge our expectations of anonymity and privacy. Some people will see themselves and smile, while others may feel uncomfortable, being reminded again that there is no privacy, and we are always being photographed without our permission.