12 - 27 - 16

Collaborative Selfie Project.

Collaboration with Schoolly D.  

“Eatin' Fried Chicken With Schoolly D” 

© Copyright Pete Checchia Photography

3-26-14

The Collaborative Selfie Project.

Collaboration with Roza Frykowska. 

© Copyright Pete Checchia Photography

2-26-14

Collaboration with Anthony McGill. 

The Collaborative Selfie Project.

© Copyright Pete Checchia Photography

Who are you and what are you doing here?

I’m Pete Checchia and I’m a visual artist. I’m here to talk about my new project the Collaborative Selfie Project.

  Why the Collaborative Selfie Project?

I’ve always been interested in persona. And it’s fun.

  How so?

Which part?

  Both.

Well, it’s fun because I love to collaborate with other artists and non-artists, too. How it works is that I invite a person to send me a selfie, and that begins the collaboration. Once they send it to me, I find or create new images to pull over their image to make a montage. So we’re producing the final image together, without being in the same room. The collaboration is all digital photography, and enables us to chop up traditional collaboration across time and space.  

  And you rely on intuition to assemble the montage?

You read my mind.

  Well back on July 28th 2010 you said of your Dreamscapes work, and I quote, “I created my latest collection intuitively, blah blah, chance operations blah blah allowing the images to build themselves blah blah blah”. 

You have a fantastic memory.

  No, but the internet does. So how is the way you work on the Collaborative Selfies different from your approach when it came to the Dreamscape works? 

They are a similar process, the CSPs are more like quick sketches and the Dreamscapes more like paintings. By the way, I still do the Dreamscape works.

  How do you enjoy doing two things at one time?

I’m always doing a lot of projects at once. I also regularly work with an artist by the name of Anthony DeMelas. He also does more than one thing at a time.

  On the Dreamscapes?

No, on our own thing. We mix my photography with his painted works. We exhibit as DeMelas/Checchia.

  But you said the Dreamscapes were more like paintings? 

I mean in the sense that they are more labor intensive than the Collaborative Selfies. It’s the same stream of conscience just more faceted. 

  Okay so back to the Collaborative Selfies Project. How did the project start? 

A friend sent me a selfie, and I decided to layer one of my images over it. I liked the way it looked, the double exposure. So I tried it with another selfie and bam! Art. It was fun. Liberating. I try not to over-think these pieces. 

  You try not to over-think these pieces? But isn’t that what you’re doing here? Right now? By talking about it and trying to explain your process and technique?

Sure. But this is writing, or talking transcribed into words and posted digitally. An entirely different art form! With the CSP, I can intuitively work on a quick visual art piece based on a selfie that someone gives me, whereas you will take this interview, edit out all the smart things I say, post everything else, and bend it beyond my recognition to serve your own ego and needs.

  I will not!

Sure you will. And I’m complicit. I’ll help you do it. It’s another collaboration.

  Is that why you picked me? 

Of course. That and the softball questions. 

   No, but I’m not the one asking yourself questions.

Yes you are.

  Uh, well ok, true. I guess that pretty much wraps it up. 

That’s it?

  Yes. Did you expect more of yourself?

Yeah, kind of.

  OK well you mentioned persona earlier.

Yes, I think this project is about persona.

  Well you should know.

Not necessarily I’m only the artist, or one of them in this case.

But it’s a defining element. How so?

How can it not be, these are based on selfies after all.

Is that why you chose to do this project?

No, that’s a coincidence, but I’ve always been interested in the idea of persona, who we are and how we show ourselves to the world and the different manifestations and aspects of our personalities that we choose to reveal. 

  I figured you’d say that.

Fair enough.

  What time is dinner?

Midnight. We’ve got a lot to do.

2-7-14

Collaboration with Matthew Feczko.

The Collaborative Selfie Project.

© Copyright Pete Checchia Photography

2-4-14

The Collaborative Selfie Project.

Collaboration with Spenser Michaels.

© Copyright Pete Checchia Photography

2-2-14

The Collaborative Selfie Project.

Collaboration with Annelise Wiering.

© Copyright Pete Checchia Photography

1-28-14

The Collaborative Selfie Project.

Collaboration with Nick Overby 

© Copyright Pete Checchia Photography