Rottle, 'Public Figure' / 2020 Brisbane Music Festival, Highlights

Angus Wilson / Percussion

Alex Raineri / Piano

Live World Premiere Performance from the 2020 Brisbane Music Festival 'Streamed Series'.

Jai Farrell / Audio Engineer & Videographer

'Public Figure' is a reaction to the inundation of news and information reliance as a result of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. I found I became dependent on social media platforms and I began to consume content that I had never before had interest in watching. The internet became an odd and somewhat unwelcomed replacement for in-person social interactions. I still look on with dumbfounded amazement, yet I can’t look away; it is a strange comfort. The title refers to the influential power that these media platforms offer to anyone who is willing to invest the time into creating themselves as a public figure. Consuming this content can be solitary but extremely noisy, intermittent but relentless. The irony is that this concept of public life is experienced in private. It makes me question: what defines “public”? - Jodie Rottle