So far, Farid's "identity squatting" has led him to occupy "selves" which were fabricated in the first place, then cast off by their former owners. "I am interested in these constructed 'shell identities,' what they mean in relation to one's sense of self and how they could be used in a politically productive way," he explained."People will talk about love, loss and addiction, but then balk at sharing the biggest of secrets, their PIN numbers."
A CCTV image of the artist. Image: Simon Farid
Image: 'Occupy Mark Stone' by Simon Farid as part of SECRET: NOTHING TO SEE HERE at Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin
Before "Occupy Mark Stone," Farid took on another discarded identity: that of MP and Chairman of the Conservative Party Grant Shapps, who was revealed by media to be moonlighting as "millionaire web marketer" Michael Green. His company, HowToCorp, promoted a virtual toolkit promising to make its buyer $20,000 in 20 days for the price of $497.The HowToCorp site is a joy to behold, replicated by Farid in a project called "Don't hate the rich, be one of them!" There are fuzzy, low-resolution fonts and bizarre clipart. There's a litany of downloadable PDFs filled with dubious business advice, while a banner across the top advertises the ominously-named "Traffic Paymaster." In one corner a stream of nonsensical "motivational" tweets preach "Be Your Own Boss!" and "Emulate Your Nemesis!" A series of video lectures begin as marketing advice but quickly shift to the subject of surveillance. Again and again a clip appears: the hypnotic sight of machines printing money."How connected are you to your passport number, one of the most important numbers that sticks to your body for a period of time?"
Farid working on "Don't hate the rich…" Image: Simon Farid
"No, never, really," he said. "Moving around in public space as him and registering as him on different systems' records of my actions was a surprisingly affecting experience for me. But the euphoria of a perceived freedom and an apprehension of the illicit nature of my actions never felt like any kind of social connection to the original identity.""In practice this became much more about being not-Simon, than about being someone else in particular."