Got a Gut Feeling: Truthiness, conspiracy and archives in contemporary culture

Abstract

This exegesis reports on research undertaken for the fulfilment of my Master of Visual Arts candidature at Griffith University. My research project takes the form of a practice led installation-based studio methodology. Through the fabrication of objects in the context of a visual arts practice that parodies archival systems, it aims to effect change in our contemporary understanding of “objective” truth by exploring the impact of truthiness (emotionally motivated belief, confirmed by gut feeling instead of facts) and embracing conspiracy culture. I argue that truthiness is widespread online as a sociopolitical tool and phenomenon. I contend the rise of mass information overload and image circulation online has propagated truthiness into every aspect of an increasingly online visual culture. I examine the rise of conspiracy as a mainstream visual language and discuss why and how individuals come to accept alternative accounts of history and explanations of the present. I assess the role of archival preservation in contemporary information dissemination, examining the influence of online systems upon how we store and access socio-political materials. I contend that archives can no longer be considered objective sites that merely and apolitically store/catalogue information. Rather, archives are subjective sites of interpretation and construction, produced and managed by many from diverse backgrounds—including artists. I discuss the methodology of genealogical research, suggesting that a multifaceted approach to historiography generates a new “effective” history, informed by multiple perspectives that aim to change interpretations of history and historiography. I identify a contextual correlation between the work of three practitioners— namely, Trevor Paglen’s conspiratorially bent research, Walid Raad’s fabricated archive and Christian Boltanski’s archival parodies. This correlation points to a congruity of research into the impact of truthiness, archival subjectivity, and mainstream conspiracy culture in contemporary art. Finally, I discuss two research outcomes and conclude whether the aims of the research project have been achieved.