The Existential Crisis of a Fringe Performer in the TikTok Age
Louise Orwin, a 37-year-old performance artist, finds herself grappling with an existential crisis amidst the vibrant backdrop of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her latest show, Famehungry, explores the encroaching influence of social media on artistic expression and the pressure on artists to become online personalities as much as stage performers. Orwin’s personal anxieties mirror a larger trend in the arts world, where dwindling audiences and shrinking funding force artists to adapt to the digital landscape or risk fading into obscurity. The pandemic exacerbated these challenges, bringing personal loss and professional setbacks that left Orwin questioning her career choices and the future of her artistic practice.
The catalyst for Famehungry came from an unlikely mentorship with a 16-year-old TikTok influencer, Jaxon Valentine. Observing Jax’s burgeoning online following, while her own audience for experimental performance art dwindled, Orwin began to question the shifting sands of cultural consumption. The contrast between Jax’s booming online presence and the struggles of traditional art forms prompted Orwin to investigate the allure and potential pitfalls of social media. She embarked on a journey to understand how artists could navigate this new digital landscape, using her performance art as a vehicle for exploration. This investigation led her to infiltrate the world of TikTok, immersing herself in its trends and challenges to gain firsthand experience of its impact on creative expression.
Orwin’s exploration isn’t her first foray into online subcultures. Her 2013 show, Pretty Ugly, saw her inhabiting online teenage personas to understand the dynamics of online communities. Revisiting this territory years later, she observed how these once-niche subcultures have become mainstream, raising questions about the homogenization of culture and the increasing influence of teen culture on artistic expression. The rise of TikTok, with its inherent censorship and conservative guidelines, presents a particular challenge for artists seeking to push boundaries and express unconventional ideas.
Famehungry takes a unique approach by incorporating TikTok Live into the performance. Orwin performs simultaneously for a live theatre audience and a digital audience on TikTok, setting her online viewers a challenge to garner likes in exchange for an undisclosed performance element. This interactive element highlights the performative nature of social media and the pressure to generate engagement, even at the expense of artistic integrity. The integration of TikTok Live into the show becomes a meta-commentary on the blurring lines between art and content, performance and self-promotion.
The experiment, however, has not been without its difficulties. Orwin finds herself constantly battling TikTok’s censorship policies, having been banned from multiple accounts for seemingly innocuous content. This struggle underscores the platform’s restrictive nature and its potential to stifle artistic expression, particularly for artists whose work challenges conventional norms. The irony of TikTok being the "Official Virtual Stage of the Fringe" while simultaneously censoring artists like Orwin highlights the inherent contradictions of this digital landscape.
Orwin’s experience at the Fringe mirrors the broader challenges facing the festival itself. The increasing presence of TikTok raises questions about the type of work that thrives on such a platform and whether the constraints of the medium will ultimately homogenize artistic output. The emphasis on virality and adherence to community guidelines potentially discourages risk-taking and experimental work, the very qualities that often define fringe festivals. The festival, known for its celebration of the unconventional and avant-garde, finds itself grappling with the implications of embracing a platform known for its conservative content moderation.
Orwin’s anxieties about her career trajectory, the future of performance art, and the pervasive influence of social media are palpable throughout Famehungry. The show becomes a reflection on the changing landscape of art and the pressure on artists to constantly adapt to new technologies and platforms. While uncertain about the future, Orwin remains committed to pursuing the work that excites her, hoping that it continues to resonate with audiences, both online and offline. Her journey at the Fringe becomes a microcosm of the broader struggle facing artists in the digital age – how to maintain artistic integrity while navigating the demands of an increasingly online world. The show ultimately poses a crucial question: can artistic expression truly flourish in an environment driven by algorithms and the relentless pursuit of online validation?