Hello, I’m Arafa. I am a non-binary artist, living. 
 
 
 
PERSONAL 
EXPLORATIONS 
OF THE 
DIGITAL SELF 
 
During this residency, I will be sharing digital artwork in which I explore 3D scanning software as a means of archiving physical memory. Through video, I explore a means of capturing my body through real-time scans, thus creating moving images that looks like the skin is constantly fluctuating, a reality that is continuously being read, interpreted and often misunderstood. Follow me through this interaction with the software, as I continue showcasing various explorations that I will upload throughout the month.  
I, I (a poem about reclaiming my body and my autonomy) 
 
I, 
I am not a continued silence 
that remains trapped within a clasped hand-held coin purse, 
singing through my whistling throat as if drowning. 
 
I, 
I am not a ringing noise 
screeching over the night, like a siren, 
an unbolted screw yearning for deliverance, as if your hand alone 
can hold me in place. 
 
I, 
I am not a shivering palm 
groping at the world, searching aimlessly for the socket in which to shove my itching fingers into. 
 
I, 
I am not here to take or be taken as if a body only has one use then thrown, forgotten, 
like a naked, abused doll. 
 
I, 
I do not need my hair cut or my arms stretched 
or my chest engorged. 
 
A Study (a poem about discovering myself) 
 
[They] have created an edgeless persona 
one that is in constant flux 
the embodiment of a pre-pubescent  
being attempting to find [themselves], 
fit [themselves] into ascribed spaces. 
Spaces that need [their] 
defined limits 
[their] 
defined curiosities 
[their]  
seamless shame 
[their] 
fearless naivetee 
[their] 
crisp discomfort. 
 
------- 
 
I find myself looking back through previous work, into poetry collections I wrote before I began exploring the digital landscape. This is why [they're] confined within brackets, to give respect to the previous self that had begun this exploration without even realising. Translating this poetry into visual images has given me a glimpse into my own development and allowed me to remove myself from the digital being you see here.