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.