Nashville, TN
Planet Follywood
As a means of examining the philosophy behind the world of celebrities, I acquired the desire to ask the following questions: what deems a person, a celebrity? How are celebrities really presented and viewed in society? Is there a justification for celebrities being seemingly worshiped at times, becoming larger than life and akin to gods? Lastly, is there such a thing as a celebrity within the world of politics? I am looking to find and present the ideals of the entertainment world and to draw the celebratory nature of individuals within the political sphere.
For my body of work entitled Planet Follywood, I have researched and gathered information on six male political figures that can be recognized as modern day celebrities, whether celebrated or abhorred. These renowned figures range from the Christian Savior, Jesus Christ to Adolf Hitler, the ruthless dictator who reigned over the massacre of six million Jews. Going a step further, I pose the question: when did such figures leave the realms of being regarded simply as martyrs, revolutionaries, radical visionists and etc., to becoming contemporary celebrities? How are these figures presented and viewed in today’s world? Are they all equated on the same level as lifeless immortals or have some fallen through the cracks and become forgotten? Most importantly, would these political figures still be highly recognizable and respected if they were not assassinated?
With inspiration from the overtly celebratory natures of Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Café and Hollywood’s Walk of Stars, which all unashamedly present celebrities as higher beings through model replications, gold stars, collections of celebrity relics and etc., I hope to do the same with the following figures: Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Welcome to the world of the political celeb.
