Follow queries micro-celebrity in the 21st century
Fact, the leading Liverpool-based arts and media hub, has launched Follow, a new exhibition exploring how we shape our online personality and attempt to reach out, befriend and become celebrities using social media.

Leading artists, including Cécile B. Evans and Simon Whybray will exhibit new work, as well as American actor Shia LaBeouf, who infamously sat in a Los Angeles gallery wearing a paper bag on his head saying; “I’m not famous anymore”, for a work titled #IAMSORRY.

To up the ante Fact will also open a fully-equipped production studio – with lighting rigs, green screen, editing equipment – to the public, inspired by elite Youtube Creator Spaces, (which are usually only open to content creators with thousands of subscribers).

Anyone who wishes to take part will be able to join artist Louise Adkins, who has created a series of workshops to take place in the space, exploring online identity, the appeal of celebrity culture and the reasons why we produce online videos in the ways we do.

“People think that if they become famous that it will end their loneliness, that they’ll be loved,” says strategist Joey Camire, who recently spoke to Protein for a briefing on fame and overnight celebrity. Follow looks at this phenomenon further examining the value of new currencies such as, ‘likes’, ‘shares’ and ‘comments’.

‘Follow’, at Fact, Liverpool, EC2A 3EY, 11 December 2015 - 21 February 2016