This multimedia exhibition seeks to challenge our perceptions of who we are and what it means to be authentic in a society where information comes at us quickly and all at once, along with expectations that are always changing. For this exhibition, four areas have been designated for Matthew F. Cassar to display a selection of visual pieces that mimic how we engage with the deluge of information we constantly encounter. 

In a unique addition, the artworks will be accompanied with pieces of writing by Lara Calleja in each room. These will emphasise various expressive elements that will enhance the visual art and accentuate a changing mood from one room to the next. Moreover, a musician will create a soundscape that enhances the exhibition’s sensory experience and complements Matthew and Laura’s collaborative story. 

The title Sheepsbodies is inspired by the informal term ‘dogsbody’. The British Royal Navy coined the phrase to describe junior officials who were tasked with doing all the disagreeable chores or “dirty work.” This slang phrase is degrading and makes the recipient feel subservient.

While a sheep chooses to follow, a dog obeys. Thus, Sheepsbodies will examine the same concept of servility, but from the lens of identity formation. Furthermore, it will stray from socially-imposed stratifications and labels, such as those stemming from social class, religion, or occupation. Instead, this idea of identity construction will be approached as a personal decision about “who to follow and be influenced by” in the context of contemporary social media reality. There’s this idea of reclamation.