Becoming the product!
Girl Online, Theory Girl, Frozen time, ect...
Vienna’s Journal
I’m thinking about the house, my friends, the future—how everything might change soon. A decision looms, one I can’t yet render, and the weight of its impossibility sharpens the edges of the infinite malleability of the future. But only if I dare to dream of it. Time feels frozen in Vienna. My evenings stretch into writing, stretching, and shitposting. It’s not a bad life. It’s the life I returned for, exactly what I planned.
And yet, with this tangible deadline, this definite end to the space where I’ve felt safe and (mostly) happy, nostalgia blooms in me. Pre-emptive grief. I sense that I’ll leave Vienna—it’s for the best. Ungratefulness creeps in, and I know this space deserves better than I’m giving it now. Everything happens for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. A mantra, a lifeline, a reminder to trust that truth.
Still, the agent or funding hasn’t responded. Answers feel near but elusive. I can’t pinpoint them, not as clearly as I once could. My spiritual power feels faint, like a light I’m afraid to switch on. Asking for clarity feels risky. Wishing for anything feels impossible. Not for lack of desperation—I want to win. But because the sting of losing, after hoping so big, feels unbearable.
On YouTube, self-help gurus insist the moment you give up is the moment life gives in. So I wait. Hesitant. Suspended.
BECOMING THE PRODUCT
In this episode, I’ll be sharing insights from one of my latest research projects—a meta-reflection on the very existence of this podcast. I’ll touch on some of the concepts I’m currently exploring, including the commodification of research, the intersection of theory and the influencer economy, and more.
(If you like the monthly podcast, you can support my projects and research by subscribing to this newsletter! )
GIRL EMPLOYEE
So happy to have received a very special guest—an exceptional researcher and a dear friend, Sophie Publig. In this episode, Sophie will dive into some of her latest groundbreaking research projects, offering us her insights on the concept and aesthetics of "the girl online."
Credit for the image is @sensitivesensualist
EVENTS
On the 5th of December, I’ll be giving a lecture about my practice at the studio of Fine Art III in PURUM, Prague. The lecture will start around 10:00. If you are in Prague by any chance and wish to join, please write me a message on Instagram @billuartmc.
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