Live stream Arielle F

When Simon Senn bought a woman’s body on the Internet for 12 dollars — it was actually an exact 3D digital replica of a woman’s body — he originally intended to use it for an art project. The self-proclaimed very geeky Swiss visual artist had devised a way to integrate the digital replica into virtual reality with motion sensors allowing him to inhabit the avatar. The shock of “becoming” a woman was a deeply disturbing experience for him. Questions abounded. Questions about the porosity between genders, of course, but also about this online body market: who are those people willingly lending themselves to be replicated? And as a user, what use can we make of these bodies, and how far does morality allow us to go? His project mutated as he decided to embark on a search for the woman who had modelled for his avatar. He found her. Her name is Arielle and she lives in London.

The conference-performance Live Stream Arielle F is a covidian adaptation of the show Be Arielle F. Over Zoom, the artist describes his process, takes us on a virtual body tour and discusses his motivations with Arielle. A therapist also chimes in on the questions this experience raised. About identity, image, technological possibilities… When virtual reality bleeds into actual reality, and vice versa.

* Online show on Zoom. You will need a computer/tablet or a smartphone. To avoid any unpleasant surprises during the broadcast, make sure you have a stable and fast internet access.