I Won't Let You Down (2018)
A flag installation for "Temporary Allegiance" at the Knockdown Center in Queens, NY
I Won't Let You Down considers the allegiance that is fandom. This one-sided flag highlights the one-sided relationship of being the fan of a public figure. The act of being a fan constitutes the fan's identity, an identity wholly dependent on the existence and activities of the public figure. A fan identity is perhaps less work and risk for the fan than constructing their own identity. But what happens to the fan's identity when the public figure ceases their public activity?
I Won't Let You Down refers to the death of pop singer George Michael in 2016. The sentiment of the fan's loyalty comes from a song lyric and the letters on the flag are cut from the fabric of the singer's promotional t-shirts. What is the fan promoting after the death of their idol? The fan's work ensures the immortality of the idol at the expense of the fan's own personhood.
A flag installation for "Temporary Allegiance" at the Knockdown Center in Queens, NY
I Won't Let You Down considers the allegiance that is fandom. This one-sided flag highlights the one-sided relationship of being the fan of a public figure. The act of being a fan constitutes the fan's identity, an identity wholly dependent on the existence and activities of the public figure. A fan identity is perhaps less work and risk for the fan than constructing their own identity. But what happens to the fan's identity when the public figure ceases their public activity?
I Won't Let You Down refers to the death of pop singer George Michael in 2016. The sentiment of the fan's loyalty comes from a song lyric and the letters on the flag are cut from the fabric of the singer's promotional t-shirts. What is the fan promoting after the death of their idol? The fan's work ensures the immortality of the idol at the expense of the fan's own personhood.