“Happily Modified!” is part of a larger project “Thin Yellow Line” (2003–2004), which includes video, text, objects, works on paper, music and an interactive website. “Thin Yellow Line” is framed as an advertising campaign for a fictional global corporation, “Happily Modified!”, whose mission is to market identities—parallel, modified versions of selves that blend existing and imagined features of one’s personality and identity.
“Happily Modified!” video consists of four integrated “commercial” and “instructional” videos in which the corporation’s representatives (both female and male performers) promote and advertise “the new methods” of human reproduction. Potential customers are invited to assemble the new “baby product” from a selection of body parts belonging to various types of dolls.

Happily Modified! or Thin Yellow Line, 2003–2004, is a multimedia spatial installation consisting of united projects: Happy Clones!, Cut&Wear!, Measure Me-Animate Me! The project was created as an advertising campaign for a fictitious corporation named Happily Modified. – Global Corporation, which aims to promote and sell new parallel, modified versions of oneself that are based on existing personality and identity features, enhanced with imaginary additional traits.
Happily Modified! explores the issue of the impermanence of personal identity within the context of modern social and scientific paradigms. The desire for personal change, improvement, and adaptation—both internally and externally, in the flesh and beyond—constantly draws inspiration from “the great myths and social rituals of the time—such as youth, beauty, individuality, luxury, happiness, or success.” These desires are driven by sophisticated, subtly invasive, and widespread media propaganda messages, whose primary purpose is to foster the feeling that we are not lacking in these aspects.

 

Happily Modified!, video, 2004/2010, 09:50 min

Author (camera, narration, editing): Kristina Horvat Blažinović
Performans: Kristina Horvat Blažinović and Antun Toni Blažinović
Song „Happy Clones“ from album „Futurisia“ by Antun Toni Blažinović
Music (parts): A. Vivaldi, Concerto in La minore n.5 R461 per oboe, Allegro; Verdi, La Traviata, Gypsy Chorus “Noi siamo zingarelle”