Hannah Cohen

No Spectacle

The internet and modern technology has ruined the dating scene of Toronto for those between ages twenty to twenty five. The apps are only for swiping, instagram is scaring people, people are too scared to meet people in real life because of a deep fear of rejection and the possibility of bothering someone.The only way to find love for those who are looking is by going back to analog, match making. As a yenta (an all knowing Jewish being who talks too much), it is in my blood to meddle in other people’s lives and to be incredibly nosey. Match making is about creating your own social network, meaning you cannot use a pre-existing social network like instagram to find people. Through going to parties, asking around, and just talking at people, a social network was formed. Due to many people being new to the social network they needed to be made comfortable. The only way to get people to reveal themselves to you is by putting them in front of a camera. Through a series of interviews that lead to possible dates, love will be and has been found. Love is not linear and neither is this installation, allow yourself to be confused and overwhelmed and not quite sure what is happening, that's when it all clicks. Participants and viewers alike can let go and me as comfortable as they are uncomfortable while looking into the forced vulnerability and not feeling as alone.

“Toronto is full of young people looking for life's necessities, apartments, jobs, and love. The dating scene in this city is a non linear mess that many people find difficult to navigate. New age dating consists of dating apps which are used without purpose and oftentimes for entertainment not actual companionship. This is why we must go back to analog dating, matchmaking.People aren't going up to one another in fear of bothering them, but I am okay with bothering people because I am a yenta. A yenta has many unflattering definitions but to me it means someone with a large community who gets things done. Also known as a gossipy woman, a shrew, a loud woman (NPR). People outside the jewish community just do not understand that yentas are integral to communities. I will talk to anyone and medal in their lives for fun and for what I decide is the better good. First I needed to create my own social network because using social media, a preconceived social network feels like cheating. Through going to parties, asking around, and just talking at people, a social network was formed. Due to many people being new to the social network they needed to be made comfortable. The only way to get people to reveal themselves to you is by putting them in front of a camera.Putting people in front of a camera and asking questions they have never seen before and getting semi honest answers is the base of this thesis. Some characters in this such as Ethan think that they are being “caught in something” when being asked questions about their ideal person. These questions at times can be seen as intrusive, but only to those that are introverts. I am asking people vulnerable questions about their past relationships, wants, families, and what they see for themselves in another person. I am also mirroring their energy in the sense that if they are calm I am calm, if they are tense I am tense. Nigeleen is calm during her initial interview which shows the outcome of actually understanding someone while the interview with Chloe was energetic leading to more stories that could be described as “too personal”. I want to build on the individual's discomfort or comfort to get the truest form of their personalities. Getting people to admit to the most vulnerable parts of themselves is hard because they need to be comfortable. To make people uncomfortable but in a respectful way is difficult, you need them to be comfortable enough to talk but uncomfortable to the point of revealing their true nature.In the interview process I have looked into artists such as Nathan fielder, Ziwe Fumudoh, and Amelia Dimoldenberg. Nathan Fielder is the first person I looked to to influence my persona, off putting. Nathan Fielder played a character on TV that many people believe is the real him. The separation of self from what is on the screen is really important when it comes to performance in a documentary setting, you cannot disrupt the subject's way of being by going over the top or showing a lack of confidence in what you are doing. You need to play the part of a neutral figure that they can put their trust into. Ziwe Fumudoh creates an atmosphere of the unknown when her guests come onto her show Ziwe. I am not sending questions or giving any information to my guests because I want the spontaneity and sense of fear of the unknown. I believe that you can turn your anxiety into excitement and vice versa. Ziwe keeps the energy light and funny and plays well with tension, she is not afraid to question her guest’s integrity or humanity. Amelia Dimoldenberg is the host of the youtube show “Chicken Shop Date” which has gone viral as she has gotten bigger celebrities to go on a date with her to a chicken shop. Chicken shops are low end fast food restaurants in the UK which creates an accessible atmosphere. I am filming in my thesis studio which technically is not accessible but does have a similar aesthetic to a used cardboard box. I am filming blind dates in coffee shops with people still in them because I can’t rent out space and why should I book a space to kick the people out just to hire extras to make it look real? I feel that a coffee shop could be considered like the chicken shop of Toronto except it is usually expensive and pretentious, but so am I. Unlike Amelia Dimoldenberg, I do not want celebrities on my show, I need From just talking to people no camera I have learned that people do not typically want to put themselves out there or work towards a goal all the time, they want someone to do it for them. Many people have complained about how hard it is to date in Toronto but they have only been on dating apps and never tried anything new out of fear or rejection. I am doing all the work for them but they are still closed off and anxious at times which leads me to believe that it is not the apps that are the problem, but the way people are approaching the attitude of dating.”