I'm Gonna Sing Cher Lloyd by Cher Lloyd is a collaborative video work riffing on the individualism of reality TV and influencer culture, while also celebrating the friendships and creative projects made possible by the internet.
 

The building of worlds on social media can be seen as an offshoot from reality TV styles of sharing and Y2k socialites, as users are able to star in their own bubbles of reality that are continuously fed back to them by the algorithm. Now, as many of us are confined to our homes and even more dependent on the cameras in our smartphones and computers to stay connected, we started to wonder - are the FBI agents watching us enjoying the show?
 

Drawing on our collective childhood experience watching X-factor auditions - sitting next to our Nan, J20 in hand, asking if we could use the house phone to vote - the work features individually directed performances from Ashleigh Williams and Georgina Tyson of Babeworld (@babeworld3000), and Ellie Harman-Taylor (@whinegums), all brought together in a virtual karaoke bar built by Molly Erin McCarthy (@molly.erh). 

Throughout the video the performers remain separated, spread across a stack of 2000's style chunky tellys like the ones that sat on cabinets in our working class homes. The audience is only able to see a snippet from each performance, perpetuating the individualistic and over produced ideals of reality TV and influencer culture.

However, as each performance interjects the eerily empty virtual space, they create moments of playful whimsy and highlight how - despite our physical separation - we have continued to support and entertain each other, and interact creatively, via virtual mediums. The pre-recorded audience love it, so you should too!

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Ashleigh Williams, she/her, @babeworld3000. I’m Ashleigh Williams and I’m average at best, aggressively mediocre- whatever you wanna call it. But, what do I have that you don’t? Materially, not much. But- I do have a mother that thinks im part of a gay cult, a diagnosis/medication list longer than any of my weaves, and unresolved trauma which makes for either sad or hilarious content. How do I curate these traits into art? Through pretty much any medium I can get my grubby mitts on - and if in doubt, I'll throw glitter at it. It's all about selling the fantasy. My work aims to highlight the importance of lived experience, and in return maybe have some content beyond your classic art jargon. Something my family can access. When you're an underrepresented part of the ‘art scene’, presence and existence become socially engaging and political. Moral of the story? More people like us need representation.

Georgina Tyson, she/her, @babeworld3000. I’m Georgina Tyson -  a Liverpool born/London-based artist and writer. My practice is ‘performance-based data-mining’ – an indulgent exercise of intense oversharing via the internet, using digital media and my own personal experiences. My work explores the intersections between my class, my relationship with sex and my experience of addiction.

Ellie Harman-Taylor, she/her, @whinegums. I’m Ellie Harman-Taylor, also making work under the name whinegums. I’m an artist based in London, UK. Graduating in 2019 with a BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins School of Art. My practice tries to explain what it is like to live with mental illnesses and disabilities today, the idea of ‘disabled time’ and exploring how coping mechanisms (such as comedy and tactile making) can enhance our ability to survive in a world that couldn’t give a fuck about you. I work with sculpture, video, performance, collaboration and comedy.
What happens when you give a manic depressive borderline with autism a platform? I want to explore outside the white cube, bring other underrepresented artists with me and create a community of artists that uplift and support each other.

Molly Erin McCarthy, she/her, @molly.erh. Molly Erin McCarthy here,  a.k.a molly.erh, a.k.a Plymouth based visual artist working across 3D and new media. Born in 1995 in South West England, my childhood was defined by sublime rural landscapes, secluded military bases, and the seductive virtual worlds of home games consoles & web 2.0. Drawing on this experience, I use a range of digital and material processes to explore the hidden worlds and shattered realities that characterise modern life. Coming from a working-class background, I am deeply interested in the relationship between technology, power, and perception, and use my work to wrestle with the lingering, techno-utopian narrative of the early 00’s. By employing world building techniques and y2k aesthetic references, I aim to draw my audience into alternative realities that speculate on themes of existence, agency, and lost-futures.

 

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room designed and created by george townsend-teague