Papers by Michelle Proksell
Networking Knowledge: Journal of the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network
Zipai, literally ‘self-shot’, is the Chinese word for ‘selfie’, and it indicates both the action ... more Zipai, literally ‘self-shot’, is the Chinese word for ‘selfie’, and it indicates both the action and the product of taking a picture of oneself. This paper presents an account of the “ways of working” through which the authors – a media anthropologist and a performance artist – negotiated a collaborative approach to zipai. The essay begins with a discussion of contemporary practices of self-representation on Chinese digital media, arguing that the zipai uploaded by Chinese users on online platforms can be understood as locational and relational self-portraits, a media-specific genre of vernacular photography. It then proceeds to consider the ethical implications of appropriating vernacular photography for artistic and ethnographic representation, proposing to adapt the practice of filtering as an ethical intervention. After an overview of contemporary works by Chinese artists and photographers engaging with the aesthetics of zipai, the essay concludes with a reflection on the possib...
Selfie Citizenship, 2017
Zipai, or ‘taking a picture of oneself’, is an extremely popular practice across an increasingly ... more Zipai, or ‘taking a picture of oneself’, is an extremely popular practice across an increasingly digitally mediated China. The principal platforms through which Chinese digital media users share their zipai are mobile micro-messaging and social contact apps such as WeChat. This chapter follows a highly visible media event – the 2015 V-Day military parade in Beijing – and its representation across micro-media practices of spectatorship to rethink the role of zipai in the construction of contemporary forms of Chinese citizenship.
Networking Knowledge, Nov 2015
Zipai, literally ‘self-shot’, is the Chinese word for ‘selfie’, and it indicates both the action ... more Zipai, literally ‘self-shot’, is the Chinese word for ‘selfie’, and it indicates both the action and the product of taking a picture of oneself. This paper presents an account of the “ways of working” through which the authors – a media anthropologist and a performance artist – negotiated a collaborative approach to zipai. The essay begins with a discussion of contemporary practices of self-representation on Chinese digital media, arguing that the zipai uploaded by Chinese users on online platforms can be understood as locational and relational self-portraits, a media-specific genre of vernacular photography. It then proceeds to consider the ethical implications of appropriating vernacular photography for artistic and ethnographic representation, proposing to adapt the practice of filtering as an ethical intervention. After an overview of contemporary works by Chinese artists and photographers engaging with the aesthetics of zipai, the essay concludes with a reflection on the possibilities of collaboration between art practice and media anthropology.
Book chapters by Michelle Proksell
Selfie Citizenship, 2016
Zipai, or ‘taking a picture of oneself’, is an extremely popular practice across an increasingly ... more Zipai, or ‘taking a picture of oneself’, is an extremely popular practice across an increasingly digitally mediated China. The principal platforms through which Chinese digital media users share their zipai are mobile micro-messaging and social contact apps such as WeChat. This chapter follows a highly visible media event – the 2015 V-Day military parade in Beijing – and its representation across micro-media practices of spectatorship to rethink the role of zipai in the construction of contemporary forms of Chinese citizenship.
Books & Book Chapters by Michelle Proksell
E-catalogue for ‘The Temporary: 01’, the inaugural exhibition for 'The Temporary' curatorial exch... more E-catalogue for ‘The Temporary: 01’, the inaugural exhibition for 'The Temporary' curatorial exchange platform, examining 'Architectures of Change' - “temporary” daily negotiations of space and place within cityscapes, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, London, Birmingham, Manchester, LA, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Bristol, Rimini, Berlin, and Amsterdam; architectures (of change) and urban development, and the influence of sound on experiences between China, East Asia and the West, through collaborations between artists, photographers, architects, designers and sound artists.
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Other writing by Michelle Proksell
Membrana, 2017
A peculiar product of a historical moment characterized by ubiquitous digital photography (Hand, ... more A peculiar product of a historical moment characterized by ubiquitous digital photography (Hand, 2012) and omnipresent mobile devices (Wilken and Goggin, 2012), the Chinternet Archive has grown out of the authors’ curiosity for collecting digital artefacts from the Chinese Internet. This small archive started coming together in early 2014, as we – Michelle a digital artist working in Beijing, and Gabriele a media anthropologist doing research in Hong Kong – decided to pool the data we were collecting to produce something collaborative out of it. Our ongoing efforts in collecting vernacular content from Chinese online platforms are grounded in our everyday use, and the regular habit of saving the funny images, stickers and amateur photos that popped up in our social media feeds has been a reliable way of building up an archive of vernacular visual content produced by Chinese users.
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Papers by Michelle Proksell
Book chapters by Michelle Proksell
Books & Book Chapters by Michelle Proksell
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Other writing by Michelle Proksell
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