The Emerging Newborn MIE Fielding. From the book
Taking Pictures Of People Taking Pictures Of : Art, smartphones and Society of the Spectacle
This sound art composition has been constructed using this image, broken into 6 stems and rendered with Ai Image to Audio software
Click any of the sound stems, in any order to compose your own version of 'The Emerging Newborn. You may download and use the stems for any purpose. Please give me a mention. My own version is featured below.
From the book 'People Taking Pictures of People Taking Picture of...Art, Smartphones and Society of the Spectacle.
Although this composition is designed to be open ended, This version was produced by MiE Fielding as part of his 'Bottleworks' Newcastle Exhibition (May 2026). more details here
'Taking pictures of people taking pictures of..'
is a social and artistic critique of contemporary culture, particularly the way smartphones and social media contribute to Guy Debord's concept of 'The Society of the Spectacle'. It highlights a modern obsession with representation and appearance over authentic, direct experience, 'The Spectacle' and the social capital manifested through the 'Van Gogh selfie'.
Using only a cheap compact camera or mobile phone himself, Fielding explores the relationship between patron and canvas, prescribed gallery art, technology and the public's interaction with it. In the process, Fielding produces a new unseen art..
The Public's commodification of experience:
An original artwork's value shifts from its intrinsic artistic merit to its potential as a status symbol or 'social capital' when shared online (eg, The Van Gogh selfie)The experience of seeing art becomes a commodity to be consumed and displayed.
Inspired by the photography of Siskind, and the Czech avant-garde photographers, this remarkable publication looks at the concept of recycling and creating a 'new' art through the very existence of galleries and it's spectacle obsessed public.
MiE Fielding stalks the stuffy and elitist world of curated art.