Molly Soda
On Coco Rocha, MySpace Intros, Flash Mirror Selfies, and more.
Molly Soda (@bloatedandalone4evr1993) — Molly Soda takes a world where online representation can feel flattening, and folds new forms of dimensionality right back into it — just look at her website. Blogging is a heartbeat and personal curation flows like air for Molly, whose exploration of the margins between physical authenticity and digital identity, everywhere from Tumblr to AOL chatrooms, has left a canonical imprint.
We’re excited to have Molly on Silk, and even more excited to hear about what she’s been curating!
What draws you to curation?
I curate because I want to remember. I curate because I want to go shopping and sometimes saving something to the desktop feels like shopping. I curate because the images look good together printed out on the wall or in a little pile on the floor.
“Imitation of Life” (2001) Music Video, R.E.M.
A truly perfect music video that apparently took less than a minute to shoot. The suburban backyard party runs on a 20-second loop, and utilizes a technique called “pan and scan” that was used for reformatting widescreen video to television or DVD. With this technology, certain mini dramas within the larger tableau are highlighted: a woman throws a glass of water into another woman’s face; someone catches on fire near the grill; a couple share a not-so-discreet kiss that sends them toppling into the bushes.
“Superstar” (1999), dir. Bruce McCulloch starring Molly Shannon
Mary Katherine Gallagher, a character created by Molly Shannon for SNL, is a north star for me. I genuinely think this film is funny and touching and aptly captures aspiration in all of its clumsiness. My favorite scene is a fantasy sequence between Mary and her best friend Helen dubbed “Supermodel Documentary Hour!” The two discuss what it was like to get “discovered” and be best friends with Naomi Campbell. Criterion collection when!!!!
Miroslav Tichý (1926-2011)
For decades Tichý would walk around his hometown of Kyjov, Czech Republic, covertly photographing women with his handmade cardboard cameras. Like many of my favorite artists, he was a true obsessive. The limitations of his technology and materials add to the beauty of his work.
“If you want to be famous, you must do something more badly than anybody in the entire world.”
Flash Mirror Pictures
I <3 girls and their orbs.
“Live on the Web” (2007), Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia
I’ve had this picture of Coco Rocha doing her makeup in front of the Apple Photo Booth saved for two decades now. It has traveled with me amongst new hard drives, been redownloaded, favorited, and reposted. Only recently did I put together that it was from a Steven Meisel editorial that incorporates interfaces, webcams, and streaming platforms in a way that feels both contemporary and archival. I’ve been trying to hunt down the issue ever since.
“The Wolves” (2016), Sarah DeLappe
A play about an indoor girls soccer team that only takes place during their pre-game warmups. What’s so unique about this play is that multiple conversations are often happening at once, weaving in and out of the larger narrative. The conflict, the interior lives of the nine teenage girls, and their relationships are revealed simultaneously. Reading this was a huge influence on writing my first play, Trivial Pursuit.
“Myspace Intros” (2006), Guthrie Lonergan
A collection of MySpace intro videos collected on YouTube by artist Guthrie Lonergan. These videos, which coincide with the birth of streaming video as we know it, were created by MySpace users to welcome other users to their pages. They are imagining themselves being looked at and articulating it.
What seems to be the website for a dress shop that specializes in bridal, formal, and prom attire in Panama City, Florida. It hasn’t been updated in nearly 15 years, so it’s hard to say if the shop is still in business. It is colorful, chaotic, repetitive, and slightly jarring… everything a website should be!
Who else would you want to see on on WW?
Yoona Bang, Lizzie Klein, Niptong.
→ Find Molly on Silk, Instagram, and her website.
→ Silk is our new blogging platform for curated media.