Acts of laughter, acts of tears: The production of ‘truth-effects’ in Oriana Fox’s ‘The O Show’ and Gillian Wearing’s ‘Self Made’

Abstract

In this article, I explore the ‘truth-effects’ of the performative dimension of two artists’ works, Oriana Fox’s therapy chat show, The O Show (2011-ongoing), episodes of which were performed live and broadcast simultaneously online, and Gillian Wearing’s experimental documentary, Self Made (2010). Situating my argument in relation to Lionel Trilling’s Sincerity and Authenticity, I argue that authenticity has changed in contemporary cognitive capitalism from modernity’s advocacy of self-alienation to becoming a matter of ‘doing’ sincerity by means of deploying ritualistic formulae or techniques in social exchange. This is exemplified in the artists’ works by techniques such as R.E.B.T. (Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy) and Method acting, which are used to produce a slippage between authenticity and sincerity for performers and spectators alike.