megastar

Meg’s social media persona 2012-2018

Meg’s breakthrough work was the creation of a pseudo social media celebrity persona, ‘Megastar’, through whom she could explore and evaluate the evolving impact of social media. Megastar was a comedic, hyper-real version of herself and an embodiment of the trending behaviours inherent in the new ways of identity production, particularly the huge increase in the popularity of selfies. Megastar was a highly successful trailblazer for selfies. In this guise, Meg built a powerful brand and was approached by the head of the concept team at Selfridges & Co to disseminate information about the perfect selfie. She worked with neuroscientists on the science of selfies, created an app that uses selfies to engage pre-teens in history at the Windsor museum, presented for the Wellcome Trust at Latitude festival and was published in a PhD student thesis. She gave consultations to the beauty brand Benefit Cosmetics and delivered a short course at London’s Goldsmiths University Institute of Cultural Entrepenurship. With her childhood matriarchal influences, her background of a Fine Art Masters and her popular contemporary experience she was able to cross over from full immersion in performance whilst simultaneously commenting and reflecting on it. That is Meg’s unique gift.

Selected commissions as persona Megastar 2012 – 2018:

• Digital reality TV series #mylife 2012-2014 at Jerwood Space
• ‘Part of Me’ music video with live performance for ‘At Home with the Ludksis’ at Rio Cinema, London
• ‘Megastar in the Museum’ App development for Windsor Museum and Firestation Arts Centre
• ‘The Art of Nuisance’ Residency and exhibition for Miss Pokeno of The Sisters of Perpetual Resistance
• Megastar’s selfies in the National Portrait Gallery discussed by Neuroscientist Dr James Kilner as part of David Bailey stardust exhibition
• ‘The Science of Selfies’ talk with neuroscientist Dr James Kilner at Wellcome Hub, Latitude Festival
• Fashion collaboration ‘Barbie Dress’ at ‘Gods Own Junkyard’ with French fashion designer Sophie Cochevelou
• ‘The Megastar Story’ Lecture delivered for Goldsmiths Institute of Cultural and Creative Entrepreneurship
• ‘Viva Trow Vegas’ Immersive town tour commissioned by Arts Council of England