Gina-Marie moved to the United Kingdom with her husband and cats in September 2023. Their first two months in the country were spent preparing to show the Jupiter Overtakes Saturn triptych at the XIV Florence Biennale. After the dust had settled in November, she shifted her focus to job and house-hunting in a new land. She quickly fell into an uncomfortable pattern of mainly being attached to her smartphone and computer all day, checking rental and job notifications as they came in. It is an understatement to say that she was thoroughly unprepared for the frenetic natures of both markets.

She wrote on Instagram:

I came across a longer version of the phrase ‘Opiate of the Masses’ in the book ‘Queer Intentions’ by Amelia Abraham regarding governments’ use of legalizing gay marriage in the USA and the world, the feeling being that when we finally had the right to marry whomever we wanted, we would hopefully stop making trouble for politicians and lawmakers. While my use of the phrase partially aligns with Amelia’s significant and correct statement, the thought struck me about how distracted we are by our phones and all we can do with them.

Yes, they are an essential lifeline and point of connection for many who have much less. But they are also so attention-seeking. It’s been on my mind a lot lately with the job and house hunt these past months. Every notification might be my dream job or dream home. The job-seeking websites send out job notifications multiple times a week, often listing the same jobs repeatedly. But I have to check them. Every time. Pay attention. Don’t look away. Don’t put the phone down. Keep searching the email notifications that come twice a day for something new. Don’t blink. Check for likes and engagement. I don’t (can’t) interact with my friends in real life, so I have to communicate with them on Social Media. I feel like I’m chained to my phone, and it’s exhausting. 

So here is the infinity photograph I made, taken between two identical phones one day after I’d had enough of it all and felt like I was drowning.

This standalone digital photo is meant to represent and bring light to the way that we are sucked into our smartphones whenever we pick them up.