Social media is an opportunity for the creation of direct or indirect experiences that motivate expressive, individual and collective self-awareness. Can artists assemble people within social media’s virtual space and motivate their awareness into their physical space? Additionally, can the spectacle between personal and collective spaces be choreographed into an active mobilisation?
This installation features around 2,500 edible gingerbread men, each about 15 cm tall, inspired by the rebellious character in the 1875 tale “The Gingerbread Boy.” These gingerbread men, expected to be inanimate as dictated by their ingredients, become symbols of activism and defiance whilst occupying the gallery space. The dense arrangement of gingerbread men symbolises the collective power of individuals coming together. However, like the rebellious gingerbread boy who is ultimately consumed into oblivion by the cunning fox, the installation reflects not just on the opportunities provided by collectivity but also the potential perils of misplaced trust and support.
Additionally, the installation features a custom-built social media network titled Occupy, accessible publicly through an online URL which users can access via their mobile devices. Visitors are invited to pick and eat a gingerbread man, each packaged with a printed message and a link to the Occupy network. By doing so, the audience is encouraged to engage with both the physical and virtual aspects of the project, blurring the lines between personal and social spaces. This interaction also highlights how social media can act like the cunning fox, raising questions about the heightened or alienated awareness of people using social media.
“The Gingerbread Man” challenges participants to move beyond mere consumption of social media and actively contribute to a political discourse that underscores the potential of art and social media as drivers of social change. It presents an artistic choreography of assembly through social media—a reflection of reality in which people overcome personal boundaries, become aware of their circumstances, and take an active role in society. People join the movement or retreat: with each gingerbread man being consumed, visitors are left with a message in hand, thus raising questions about the consumption of social media and the consumption of our realities.
This project is an invitation to examine how art and social media intertwine to foster collective awareness and action, urging participants to consider their roles in the digital and physical worlds.
“The Gingerbread Man” is a visual project which Pawlu Mizzi conceived to conclude his Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media research exploring how social media can serve as a tool and space for art to drive social narratives.
