TIFFANY SHLAIN’S ARTIST STATEMENT:

I’m interested in new ways that emerging technologies can engage people  in the issues they are most passionate about. The internet is a new public sphere that is radically changing the ways we raise, debate, and act on issues. These issues have become increasingly interdependent, requiring solutions that depend on interdependent thinking.

“What’s Your Issue?” experiments with how online social networking, the Internet, and webcams have the potential to reframe the way we participate in art, culture, and politics. “What’s Your Issue?” solicits short webcam videos from Facebook users, asking them to quickly describe the issues that concern them. The application then sorts and groups videos together, connecting issues and people that might not otherwise be thought of as sharing common aims. The end result is a non-linear film narrative, a rich cross-section of people voicing their personal concerns, hopes, and desires for the future.

“What’s Your Issue?” utilizes the power of social networking to build community, challenge our preconceptions, and encourage conversation about the interconnectedness of issues, people and our future. It experiments with how artists, filmmakers and activists can engage and connect in new ways through evolving technologies. And most importantly, it sparks dialogue, which leads to action.

This project is part of my team at The Moxie Institute’s ongoing experiments with engaging people in new ways, both online and offline, on the complicated and pressing issues of the 21st century.