SUMMER RESIDENCY SHOWCASE 2023

Stephanie Sutton’s performances for camera employ conventions of labor and ritual to complicate assumptions of discipline and the virtue of self-control. She is currently Assistant Professor of Photography and Expanded Media at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Fit Tech explores a deep cynicism of fitness culture with modern technologies in exercise and self-portraiture. This installation doubles down on the performative aspect of working out through multiple performance actions. I opt for minimal-resistance equipment and passive methods such as an electric vibration pad, a plastic bodysuit designed to maximize sweat production, an under-desk bike pedal, and a cold plunge tub. These trending wellness technologies are paired with software that continues my studio research into how we see ourselves through the mediation of the screen. I used face-tracking ai, a 360-degree camera, postproduction keyframing and scene selection, augmented reality and 3D scanning, and remote-control phone apps to be simultaneously in front of and virtually operating the camera. Through this process, I have recognized that the gym I am most motivated by is an artist studio – where one sweats after moving hot lights, twirls cameras to find the most interesting angle, and fills a stock tank with hundreds of pounds of ice.