Self-portrait in the photo booth: self-representation in the selfie era, a Photo-based Educational Research Project

Abstract

This visual essay is the result of an inquiry that analyses the selfie with students in the art teacher training programme in the Faculty of Education. These students are familiar with the selfie in a recreational context, in which the result and the aesthetics of the immediate prevail, overlooking elements of the photographic act. The visual experimentation triggered by the limitations of this strongly standardised and automated process is a challenge for young people. The results show a great capacity for visual reflection and denote a deep critical sense. The aim of this artistic research is to slow down the act of self-portraiture and to make it a more conscious process. The methodology of this Photo-based Educational Research is based on transforming the classroom into an artistic laboratory. For this purpose, a visual, experimental and theoretical research proposal is designed. The empirical part involves a photographic project that establishes the use of the photo booth as a technical condition. The theoretical dimension consist of the study of contemporary artistic references that consider the self-portrait and the selfie as a central theme.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

[1] In this article the concept of narcissism is identified with the so-called vulnerable narcissism type, which is characterised by hypersensitivity to the opinions of others, an intense desire for approval, and defensiveness, as well as entitlement, grandiose fantasies, and the need for admiration (Dickinson and Pincus 2003).

[2] The term Selfitis, as used in the aforementioned article is attributed to the American Psychiatric Association, which defines it as ‘the obsessive-compulsive desire to take photos of one’s self and post them on social media as a way to make up for the lack of self-esteem and to fill a gap in intimacy’. However, we are not aware of the APA mentioning Selfitis in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

José María Mesías-Lema

José María Mesías-Lema is Associate Professor of Art Education (tenured) at the University of A Coruna-UDC, Spain. He was Vice-Dean of International Relations, Deputy Vice- Rector and Director of Art Cultural Centre NORMAL (www.istoenormal.org) in the same University. He is also head of the research group Artefacto-UDC (www.arte-facto.org), which focuses on contemporary art processes in diverse educational contexts. He is an artivist educator and a promoter of sensitive learning for the defence of human rights, with a Ph.D. in Visual Arts and Education from the University of Granada. His educational research is based on contemporary art education and visual arts, exploring an activist pedagogical approach to the sensitivity of artistic education and its input in students’ lives. It explores the sensitive power of transforming the potential of relational aesthetics in professional training and teachers’ development. His latest research generates projects on schools, where inhabitant artists build spaces as experimental laboratories in Art Education.

Guillermo Calviño-Santos

Guillermo Calviño-Santos is a photographer and digital creator (Polytechnic University of Catalonia) and Ph.D. in Education. He served as Professor of Art Education at the University of Santiago de Compostela (2014-2016) and at the University of A Coruña (2017-2021). He is currently teaching at University of Santiago de Compostela where he has returned in September 2021. His research focuses on the potential of visual arts to develop transformative experiences both individually and collectively in the educational context. He is also a member of the research group in Art Education Artefacto from the University of A Coruña (www.arte-facto.org)