YOLOCAUST Project, Shahak Shapira, Berlin, 2017. (1st September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Szewczak-Harris, Emma
• Is Part Of: Journal of art writing by students. Volume 3:Number 1/2(2017)
• Page Start: 149
• Page End: 154
• Publication Date: 2017-09-01
• Subjects: Arts -- Research -- Periodicals; Art in universities and colleges -- Periodicals; Arts -- Periodicals; Academic writing -- Periodicals; Graduate work -- Periodicals; 707
• DOI: 10.1386/jaws.3.1-2.149_4
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2055-2823

Abstract

Debate on (in/) appropriate behaviours at Holocaust sites has been raging ever since the field of 'dark tourism' (tours of sites of atrocities) rose to prominence in the 1990s. It has peaked in recent years with the appearance of the 'Holocaust selfie' (selfies taken at various Holocaust sites, generally designated for online publication). In 2017, Shahak Shapira launched his online project YOLOCAUST: a compendium of such selfies drawn from social media superimposed onto graphic Holocaust imagery. The project intended to shine light on the phenomenon and possibly shame its participants. This article critiques YOLOCAUST and its intentions, probing its cohesion and questioning Shapira's success in offering a social comment on this new mode of online behaviour.