Interview by Talia Golland

 

TG: Why did you select Tinder as the social media platform on which to conduct this performance?

 

R: I chose tinder because while I’ve never used tinder, and I have a lot of friends who use it. My sister would use it to entertain herself, and I have male friends who use it to find hookups and friends because they don’t always have opportunities to meet people in their lives. I found it really funny that you’re using it to connect with people, to find that human connection, but it’s so ironic because you’re often looking away from the human connection right in front of you. I saw it as the perfect program that’s already there, and why not take that virtual web into a real space? I’m hijacking this tool for something different, but in a way I’m also using it for what it is intended for, to connect people.

 

TG: What sort of effect do you hope to create with the unconventional pictures you’ve selected for your profile?

 

R: In all these forms of social media we have, you create an avatar to represent yourself. And I wanted to explore the use of self-photography - but it’s no longer a straight-up portrait of a person, it’s fragmented.

 

TG:How have people responded?

 

R: Thus far, it definitely creates a curiosity!

 

TG:Tell me about the name you’ve chosen.

 

R:“Oge Repus” is Super Ego spelled backwards. I chose this because the Super Ego is the idealized self-image, but it’s backwards because i’m also reversing my self-image: by representing the self in unusual ways that are still completely myself - my body - it’s breaking down conventional forms of representation of identity on this social media platform. We create our identities with other people - it’s social. There’s a constant re-affirmation and rebuilding.

 

TG:How are you interacting with the people you match with?

 

R:I don’t want to overemphasize the actual conversation in that I want to keep it fairly straightforward but also tailor the invitation to the specific person. I don’t want to give them any false expectations. I’m removing myself in a way.

 

TG:Describe your relationship with social media.

 

R: I was using tumblr and I recently took it down because i felt like i was using it in a way that wasn’t authentic. It was just fragments of my art. it’s funny how in social media you have a tendency to create a fragmented portrait but it’s wholesome and well-rounded, but it’s just a sliver of your whole existence I wasn’t questioning the tool, I was just falling victim to it. We have to acknowledge the power of the tools we have and how they’re affecting our psyches. I don’t want to just be another user.