Single Ladies Single Man Beyonce Mashup, 1:47, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ifGHUfR5Ks) is a digital inkjet print that is part of a series titled YouTube Stills. Each image is a depiction of me recreating a frame from a popular YouTube video. I explore the idea of role-playing, celebrity, and narcissism within this series. Aesthetically, I chose to delete the physical environment, replace it with a solid color background and give the character a ground reflection. These design elements mimic current Web 2.0 design trends. Formally, I'm interested in experiencing each character's momentary physical action and mental state as a non-celebrity or average Joe. During the creation of the actual video, the performer was simply sharing a private moment with the camera, yet following the upload to YouTube, becomes an overnight sensation to millions.

In this specific image, I become Shane Mercado, a young man who recreated the music video to Beyonce's chart-topping song "Single Ladies" in the privacy of his bedroom. By uploading his video to YouTube, he quickly journeyed from his bedroom to several television interviews. While his video has since been removed by YouTube for copyright infringement by Warner Music Group, the video still exists on endless sites around the Web.