“In any given period, there is always a dominant mode of cultural production—meanings and

values which are in effect and control. Alongside this, there are residual cultural forms, created

in the past but still active in the present: not merely as relics, but as living practices. And finally,

there are emergent cultural elements—new meanings, practices and values that are not yet

fully articulated but are nonetheless coming into being. The analysis of culture, then, requires us

to see not just a fixed system but a complex process, where the dominant is always contested

by residual elements and challenged or altered by emergent practices.”

—Raymond Williams

I used this framework as a lens to explore visitor behavior in galleries and museums. Initially, I focused on the shift from traditional contemplation to phone-based documentation, and finally to selfies and "check-ins". My primary critique was on how much attention visitors actually pay to the artwork itself.

My eight-page zine visualizes this transition. Toward the end, I expanded my focus to explore selfie culture—a shift driven by 21st-century technology. This practice has reshaped museums, moving them away from purely educational goals toward entertainment and commercial roles (Hariyanto, 2020). Through the lens of Williams’ theory, the dominant culture remains educational/commercial, the residual is the old elitist approach, and the emergent is the rise of "instagrammable" displays for identity promotion.

In my own artwork, I chose to return to original forms and colors, using unisex bodies in black and white. I use the eye as a metaphor for human vision and the sense of social media surveillance that fuels selfie culture. The rectangle in my work acts as both a screen and an artwork frame. It critiques what people truly focus on while suggesting that, perhaps, the artworks are actually looking back at us.

This mini project is also featured on my school’s IG account, let's sway along with the video in this link