The Bully Pulpit
by Haley Morris-Cafiero
Haley Morris-Cafiero investigates the social phenomenon of cyberbullying by utilizing self-portraiture against those who’ve attempted to bully her.
After her series Wait Watchers went viral, Haley Morris-Cafiero received numerous hateful comments on the internet. The Bully Pulpit is her response to those comments. An inspired Morris-Cafiero realized that she could parody the bullies by creating images and publishing those images on the internet —the same vehicle used for the attacks. Photographing herself costumed like the people who’ve attempted to bully her, she recreated their images found via public profiles by using wigs, clothing, and simple prosthetics and overlaid those images with transcripts of the bullying comments. The result is The Bully Pulpit, a project that pushes the boundaries of self-portraiture and raises questions about the social sphere of the internet.
Artist Biography
Haley Morris-Cafiero is part performer, artist, provocateur, and spectator who explores the act of reflection. Her photographs have been widely exhibited throughout the US and abroad. She has been featured in Le Monde, New York Magazine, and Salon. She was also nominated for the Prix Pictet in 2013 and was a Fulbright finalist in 2016. While born in Atlanta, she graduated from the University of North Florida with a BFA in Ceramics and the University of Arizona with a MFA in Art. She currently resides in Belfast, Ireland where she teaches at Ulster University. To see more work by Haley Morris-Cafiero, visit www.haleymorriscafiero.com.
Haley Morris-Cafiero investigates the social phenomenon of cyberbullying by utilizing self-portraiture against those who’ve attempted to bully her.
After her series Wait Watchers went viral, Haley Morris-Cafiero received numerous hateful comments on the internet. The Bully Pulpit is her response to those comments. An inspired Morris-Cafiero realized that she could parody the bullies by creating images and publishing those images on the internet —the same vehicle used for the attacks. Photographing herself costumed like the people who’ve attempted to bully her, she recreated their images found via public profiles by using wigs, clothing, and simple prosthetics and overlaid those images with transcripts of the bullying comments. The result is The Bully Pulpit, a project that pushes the boundaries of self-portraiture and raises questions about the social sphere of the internet.
Released 2019
25 color photographs
64 pages
Swiss bound hardcover
9” x 12”
First Edition of 500
Essay by Emma Lewis
ISBN 978-0-9986490-8-5