Face off

Face off

US – W magazine’s November art issue stars supermodels Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid as Placebo Pets.

Article/20326 #1
Placebo Pets by Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin for W Magazine, US

US – W magazine’s November art issue stars supermodels Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid as Placebo Pets with an extraterrestrial owner.

  • Knees, elbows and teeth are deliberately Photoshopped, drawing attention to the digital manipulation of contemporary beauty standards
  • Key to the narrative is that the characters inhabit a post-gender, post-race and post-identity world

Artists Lizzie Fitch and Ryan Trecartin transformed the celebrities into ultra-domesticated, ultra-friendly humanoid creatures with prosthetics resembling Snapchat’s animal filters, and lines such as: ‘I just want someone to throw a fucking Frisbee at me.’

The artists were interested in highlighting our relationship with technology; in particular, how social media channels have trained us to change our behaviour, language, aesthetics and idea of self to meet their optimisation standards.

‘We created social media,’ explains Trecartin. ‘But then it changed us because we interacted with it. Because it has its own rules and limitations it transforms us and transforms the next thing that happens just by existing. You can’t really avoid being trained.’

​The Big Picture

There is a growing awareness of Elastic Personas, where individuals stretch their identity like a rubber band, depending on whom the individual is interacting with. For more, see our macrotrend The Sharded Self.

Discover More News
Iris van Herpen unveils Sympoiesis at Paris Haute Couture Week

News

Iris van Herpen unveils Sympoiesis at Paris Haute Couture Week

At Paris Haute Couture Week, Iris van Herpen unveiled Sympoiesis, a collection steeped in material innovation.
Couture : Fashion : Bioluminescent Algae
Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

News

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about.
Fashion : Luxury : Pop Culture & Media
Stat: Global spending on leisure travel will triple by 2040

News

Stat: Global spending on leisure travel will triple by 2040

A new report by Boston Consulting Group reveals that the global leisure travel market is set to triple in value, growing from £3.51 trillion ($4.25...
Travel : Hospitality : Tourism
Tripadvisor rebranding elevates travellers’ voices

News

Tripadvisor rebranding elevates travellers’ voices

Tripadvisor has unveiled a major rebranding led by creative studio Koto, marking its evolution from a pioneering travel guide into a global booking...
Travel : Hospitality : Design
Atlanta’s first women’s sports bar Jolene Jolene redefines the game

News

Atlanta’s first women’s sports bar Jolene Jolene redefines the game

Jolene Jolene, Atlanta’s first-ever women’s sports bar, is proof that interest in women’s sports is reshaping the traditionally male-dominated spor...
Hospitality : Sports : Leisure
Stat: Gen Z aren’t quitting alcohol after all

News

Stat: Gen Z aren’t quitting alcohol after all

New research challenges the narrative that Gen Z are the sober generation.
Statistic : Generation Z : Alcohol
Pattern Beauty brings authenticity and curl culture to tv with first-ever commercial

News

Pattern Beauty brings authenticity and curl culture to tv with first-ever commercial

Tracee Ellis Ross has launched Pattern Beauty’s first ever tv commercial, a 60-second spot that blends humour, nostalgia and a celebration of textu...
Haircare : Pattern Beauty : Beauty
The Messenger bot quietly transforming women’s safety in Jordan

News

The Messenger bot quietly transforming women’s safety in Jordan

A discreet digital tool is offering life-saving support to vulnerable women in Jordan.
Artifical Intelligence : Technology : Women's Safety
Stat: Study finds TikTok is reshaping luxury discovery

News

Stat: Study finds TikTok is reshaping luxury discovery

A new study in the US, the UK, France and Italy, commissioned by TikTok, reveals a structural shift in how consumers discover luxury, inc...
Statistic : TikTok : Luxury
BMW rebrands motorcycling as digital detox

News

BMW rebrands motorcycling as digital detox

BMW Motorrad and its UAE dealership AGMC have launched Throttle Therapy, a series of 10-second videos positioning motorcycling as a form of digital...
Health & Wellness : Advertising : Digital Detox
You have 0 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN