email fiction

‘Faceless patrons’ is an installation that documents stories used by Internet scammers in so called ‘overpayment check scams’. Scammers use scripted stories to reach their victims, yet when correspondence continues story worlds start to evolve. We wanted to take a closer look on these ‘419-fiction’ cybercrime stories, ‘419’ relating to the criminal code in Nigerian law that deals with fraud. While we were aware of the fact that we are dealing with scammers, we use a fictional character and narration to investigate how the scammers react to various turns in the plot. The story takes the form of e-mail correspondence where two characters are involved; one art patron created by the scammers and our fictional artist ‘Anna Masquer’. The scammers posed identity is often based on either identity theft or a confusing mix of several existing individuals, giving them the opportunity to remain faceless and anonymous. The installation setup consists of five photo-frames hanging on a wall. Each frame connects to a correspondence with a scammer and holds a photograph and a fake check that was received as an advance payment for Anna Masquers’ photos. By using a smartphone or a tablet the visitor can scan each photograph via a third party AR-Browser. Each physical photograph is then overlaid with an AR layer containing a video compilation of images. These images are the result of an online search in an attempt to confirm or invalidate the authenticity of the scammer’s character and his online representations. This search result tries to give a face to the faceless scammer, yet fails while the posed art buyer can be anyone or no one of the persons found within the search.

The story of Lisa Doyle, a single, slightly desparate woman looking for love, whose email inbox is open for readers to explore. A version of the story was later published as a print novel, The Armchair Bride (2008).

Yes, really is a perverse counterpoint about listening, memory and internal and external realities. Three characters, in various ways deaf or blind to each other but each in the same time and place, talk separately — to you, dear reader. While these people share their interlocking stories from different perceptions you, listening to their individual narratives, put it all together. What you’ll come up with is your interpretation. Experience is like that, right? Yes, really.

yesreally.novamara.com

author's home page: www.novamara.com

Yes, Really was shortlisted for the inaugural New Media Writing Prize, in 2010.