To Be the self ; to be multiple

Liam E McGee

Abstract

This dissertation examines the idea that selfhood is not singular or fixed, but multiple, shifting and shaped by relationships, social roles, and external pressures. Drawing on lived experience as an identical twin, it explores how personal identity can become deeply intertwined with that of others, blurring the boundaries between the self and the other. Philosophical and psychological research inform the study, highlighting how things like familial role and online culture can disrupt or reshape one’s sense of self.

These ideas are developed through a propositional exhibition titled To Be the Self; To Be Multiple, which brings together sixteen individual artworks by eleven artists that explore the fractured, performed and externally influenced identities. Set in two spaces in Edinburgh’s Modern Two gallery, the exhibition aims to be welcoming and inviting, whilst remaining striking and thought provoking which is supported by the research on public behaviour and engagement with visual arts spaces.