Poltergeist by Alan Stanners explores the real-world implications of digital culture, using symbolism and iconography that evoke a sense of the mythical and supernatural. The figure, posed in a manner...
Poltergeist by Alan Stanners explores the real-world implications of digital culture, using symbolism and iconography that evoke a sense of the mythical and supernatural. The figure, posed in a manner reminiscent of religious iconography, holds one hand splayed as if grasping a missing smartphone, a nod to our constant digital engagement. In the other hand, the figure lifts their shirt, revealing an open wound, also reminiscent of Jesus’ Five Holy Wounds – an ambiguous injury that suggests something more than physical harm. The wound hints at something emerging, blending the boundaries between reality and the fantastical.
The title, Poltergeist, references a spectral presence that has the power to manipulate physical objects, drawing a parallel to the intangible but profound effects of online behaviour on our physical lives. Stanners uses this concept as an allegory for how actions in the digital world shape real-life interactions, subtly influencing how we behave and interact in the material world.