Thesis Irma - Abstract: Are there ethical boundaries for artists using the art of manipulation?

In my artistic practice, I am interested in how human understanding and behaviour is directed within media environments. In the field of lens-based media, I like to play with the language of communication and influence the interpretation of the audience.

During my first year at the Piet Zwart Institute, I have created several short films involving the theme of longing for "a bigger other". This bigger other comes in different forms, e.g. a greater all-knowing spirit, self-help book, YouTube guru or a company that sells advice. It always has a guiding role in a character's decisions. In the movie Just Jake (2017) the viewer is introduced to the lives of two characters, Jean and Jake, husband and wife who have spent all their days together. Jean has found her calling as a popular lifestyle guru who inspires her followers on a daily basis with her YouTube tutorials and self-help books. Her motto is 'I am Just Jean! And that is good enough!'. Her husband Jake is a supportive man and although he has lost his job, he tries to stay relevant by helping his wife whenever he can. However, his help is often unnoticed or unappreciated. One day an email from a company called FORTUNEWOOD arrives in Jake’s inbox, the link takes him to the company's website where he is seduced into scanning his fingerprint in exchange for personal counselling. The film was accompanied by an audio installation based on my fictional company called Fortunewood (2017). This installation invites the audience to scan their fingerprint, and after they do so, it offers brief personal mentoring advice presented by a famous movie star.

My work method during the first year of the course was to analyse a recipe of a familiar visual communication language, then use its rhetorical structure in order to play with the expectation of the public. I consider this method a process of sculpting and manipulating fiction as if it were reality. For my graduation piece, my aim is to develop the theme further by taking the truth, sculpting it into fiction and than representing it as an alternative realism. I have been creating a film in the form of a documentary about a Dutchman who declared himself a sovereign citizen and moved to Portugal. In many ways, this man brings all the thematics of my interests together. He is a rebel, a charming man with a darker, perhaps selfish side. He calls himself a 'Tachyon Energy' facilitator, providing clients with alternative energy healing sessions, and has strong views supporting numerous conspiracy theories. All this provides rich source material for a filmmaker to play with. In this playing field, I want to create a tension between subjective interpretation and truth. Therefore, I also participate in the film which reveals more perspectives on the creation of the story.

In my thesis, I will explore related artistic, theoretical issues that connect to my artistic practice. I want to research the rhetorical structures of manipulation within our society and how methods of propaganda penetrate mass media communication. One of my central questions is whether or not artists could use the art of manipulation for the greater good, and if so, are there ethical boundaries?