The Tableau Vivant and Social Media Culture

Abstract The article aims to analyse the tableau vivant in social media culture by emphasizing its intermedial relation to technical visual media, particularly digital photography and film. By focusing on the living picture’s specific mimetic qualities, the study traces back the tableau vivant’s history in a media archaeological perspective primarily regarding photography. It explores the current revival of the tableau vivant within social media. The article examines living pictures and the aspect of self-staging, relevant to contemporary digital culture. The tableau vivant develops between two polarities: a primarily analytical approach that allows a profound exploration of a particular artwork and the performative aspects of self-staging.