MiE Fielding : Taking pictures of people taking pictures of : Art, smartphones and society of the spectacle

'Taking pictures of people taking pictures of..'

is a social and artistic critique of contemporary culture, particularly the way smartphones and social media contribute to Guy Debord's concept of 'The Society of the Spectacle'. It highlights a modern obsession  with representation and appearance over authentic, direct experience, 'The Spectacle' and the social capital manifested through the 'Van Gogh selfie'.

 Using only a cheap compact camera or mobile phone himself, Fielding explores the relationship between patron and canvas, prescribed gallery art, technology and the public's interaction with it. In the process, Fielding produces a new unseen art..

The Public's commodification of experience: 

An original artwork's value shifts from its intrinsic artistic merit to its potential as a status symbol or 'social capital' when shared online (eg, The Van Gogh selfie)The experience of seeing art becomes a commodity to be consumed and displayed.

Inspired by the photography of Siskind, and the Czech avant-garde photographers, this remarkable publication looks at the concept of recycling and creating a 'new' art through the very existence of galleries and it's spectacle obsessed public.

 MiE Fielding stalks the stuffy and elitist world of curated art.

168 pages

ISBN 978-1-9193135-1-1

Available April 2026