Like staring into the mirror for too long we have all googled our own name.
Who is Toby Lloyd? Who is Toby Phips Lloyd?
In a monologue uploaded to YouTube, Lloyd explores how that familiar sense of self is constructed and how meaningful it actually is. Drawing his audience into both his personal and psychological space(s) Toby Lloyd’s online confessional recounts a series of events which call into question the narratives and belief systems which govern the way we perceive our own and others’ identities.
Here, the viewer finds themselves in the artist’s studio, watching the YouTube video on Lloyd’s computer. Toby Lloyd recounts how he ran a google search for his name, leading to the discovery of another artist, Toby Phips Lloyd.
This is just the start. In a cruel twist of outcome, Lloyd becomes not only the observer but now the observed. As his story unfolds, a personal disclosure of self-categorisation contrasted against others’ possible perceptions, we are lead to question our own internal monologues and consider the forces that shape who we are, and who we think we are.
Please note the resolution of this video is lower than exhibition standard. To view a higher resolution version contact the artist.
The installation was made and shown at Watch It Gallery, London August 2014