Apparently Us.

Tarsila Assis

‘Apparently Us.’ uses Google AdWords to reveal the categories

individuals are placed in, based on their online activity.
AdWords are determined from an individual's Google data and
are used to produce personalised ads from their estimated
interests. Intrigued by these supposed and assumed identities,
Tarsila Assis visually depicts the digital profile generated by
Google by creating a series of portraits that illustrates what Lori
Andrews calls the “second self”, that is, “a virtual interpretation
of you”. Featuring herself, her mother, stepfather, stepsister,
boyfriend and friend, Assis constructed six unique digital
portraits, each consisting entirely of the individuals own
AdWords. Assis transforms their data into digital doppelgängers
revealing the accurate or mistaken conclusions that the algorithm
has made about their identity. Highlighting certain phrases she
found interesting or relevant, Assis replicates the algorithm by
applying her own perception of each individual to the work.
Using subjects of different ages, genders and ethnicities, Assis
seeks to uncover how much our identity influences our online
activity, and therefore the way we are seen by algorithms. Assis
invites viewers to look closely and immerse themselves in these
virtual identities, uncovering the subject’s apparent lives.