Doppelganger

Dominic McGill

Doppelganger. 2010.

Graphite on paper.

22 x 30 inches.

Courtesy of the Artist and Derek Eller Gallery.

At the center of this maze is a line of text cribbed from cultural theorist Paul Virilio: A STEREO REALITY A FUNDAMENTAL LOSS OF ORIENTATION. It’s easy to miss this mirror-reversed pronouncement amid the clutter, yet it seems to hold a key of sorts. Virilio suggests the media doesn’t construct reality. Instead, it creates a ‘stereo’ or virtual reality that distorts our perception of time and space, fact and fiction. We mistake doppelgangers—a spectral double of a living person. The din of the news cycle forbids rather than enables interpretation. Live feeds and green screens confuse the distance between broadcaster and newsmaker. This piece challenges the viewer to find a narrative, follow a thread and make a conclusion.

Caleb Bissinger ’13

Gund Gallery Associate