Diana Gheorghiu
You are light and cabbage
You Are Light and Cabbage is a video work dedicated to a wellness influencer embodied by a cabbage head. The project explores the misuse of social media to spread misinformation, COVID conspiracies, and far-right ideologies through discourse rooted in magical thinking. It delves into the idea that online influencers serve as a modern clergy for millennials, guiding belief systems encompassing politics, self-optimization, therapy, wellness, and astrology. The video depicts three followers - a yoga mum, an entrepreneur, and a tennis player - embarking on a journey, leading to a crash in the desert. In the aftermath, they meet their deity, a cabbage head.
Diana Gheorghiu uses computer-generated characters to explore the topics of self-care, new food, and the wellness industry. Her work follows on from her research into online communities that promote healthy lifestyles. Her research takes place within the framework of the wellness industry that has undergone a subtle shift from social to individual responsibility. Diana’s work criticises the pressure placed on the individual to lead a healthy lifestyle and the accompanying feelings of guilt, anxiety, and a lack of belonging.
Credits:
3D Animation: Tristan Gieler
Sound: Luca van Grinsven
Voice: Joris de Jong
Text: Alina Lupu
Title design: Clara Lezla