Unraveling “iamamiwhoami” (with videos)
February 11th, 2010 by Forest
So, this whole “iamamiwhoami” thing has really gotten under my skin. Below is the result of some research I did, after reading two posts on MTV and watching the accompanying videos (included below). To really understand what I’m even talking about, if it’s anything more than nonsense to begin with, I suggest that you read the two MTV posts and watch the videos.
- From MTV: An Open Letter to iamamiwhoami
- From MTV: Mysterious “iamamiwhoami” Reaches Out to MTV News
The following research was done in response to the second MTV post and the fact that the numbers, paired with the alphabet, spell “Mandragora” in the fourth video. Contrary to the opinion on MTV, I do not think that Mandragora is being used to designate a demon, but rather the plant genus.
In addition to designating certain, mischievous demons, Mandragora is also a genus of plant – historically linked to fertility, which would explain all the “foetus, natal, nourish, etc.” keywords on the iamamiwhoami videos.
From “Witchcraft and Spells: Transcendental Magic its Doctrine and Ritual,” by Eliphas Lev – “The natural mandragore is a filamentous root which, more or less, presents as a whole either the figure of a man, or that of the virile members.”
So we can say that Mandrake = man, in some sense.
It was rumored that, if pulled out of the ground, the Mandrake would scream like a man, killing whoever uprooted it. The workaround here was to tie a dog to the Mandrake, then walk away. The dog would try to follow you, pulling the Mandrake out of the ground and, hence, the dog would be the one to fall victim.
Note the black puppies in the fourth video, which I’m considering the “birth video” – not just because of the puppies either. On the fourth video, the keywords also change – foetus, natal, ambiotic, etc. disappear, especially the first, which was attached to all videos up until the fourth.
Continuing keywords in the series are “wood” and “disciple.”
In “Pharmaceutical journal: A weekly record of pharmacy and allied sciences,” it says that the female Mandrake is black. One of the ancient theories around the origin of the Mandrake – and tying into the whole idea of human, birth, etc. – is that the plant sprung from the semen of hanged men.
Gross, but in the second video … yeah …
So, if Mandragora=human life/fertility, we could assume that, in this case, it could mean either the birth of a new career, or career path – or the rebirth of a stagnant career.
As for the animals:
- Goat could stand for sacrafice.
- Owl could stand for death/rebirth – think of the owl as a guide in the night.
- From animaltotem.com, “Whale reintroduces us to our creative and intuitive energies to show us a talent we’ve forgotten about or haven’t been aware existed.”
- Bee could stand for productivity. (busy as a bee)
This progression would fit with the idea for rebirth (mandragora) and maybe even the “iamamiwhoami” project title itself.
I am X. Am I really X? Who am I (who will I be recast as? – maybe explained in future videos?)
If the goat represents the sacrifice of the old self, then the owl represents the journey back to life, the whale represents new creativity and the bee is productivity with that new creative energy.
So, basically, yeah – it’s Christina Aguilera … or is it?
I’m also attaching my catalog of imagery and keywords from the first four videos:
Video 1
Imagery: tree “limbs” and a goat
Keywords: wood, foetus, disciple, natal, moisture, machine, orifice
Video 2
Imagery: owl, excitement (?), seeds of rebirth (?)
Keywords: wood, foetus, disciple, lap, nourish, cortex, sap
Video 3
Imagery: whale, gateau (french for cake, or a french cake)
Keywords: wood, foetus, disciple, ambiotic fluid, umbilical cord, cream, gateau
Video 4
Imagery: birth, puppies in the snow, fallen tree, bee
Keywords: wood, disciple, rodent, engender, spout, mount
Tags: christina aguilera, iamamiwhoami, mandragora, mystery
February 11th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Nice work, Forest! Very extensive.
I’m pretty sure it’s Christina Aguilera, too. There’s one shot in particular where you can make out that nose ring she frequents… plus, she’s going in a completely new direction and working with a lot of interesting electronica kind of folks (Ladytron, etc.).
February 11th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Excellent work! I really don’t think it’s Christina to be honest. Little Boots or Ladyhawke are my guesses. Either way I’m loving the music/ visuals. Can’t remember when I last did this much research on an artist or band (?)
February 11th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I spent so long trying to figure out a theme on those undivided number chains – we need someone other than a journalism major working on that! I have a note out to my programming friends.
February 11th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
The thing is the eyes though.. there’s something about her eyes that don’t make me think of Aguilera, though I desperately want it to be!!I can see it being Little Boots as well…
February 11th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
I think it looks more like Lady Gaga than Christina Aguilera, but I can’t see it being either. If it IS Christina it’s a huge change in direction because the music is actually pretty good, or at leasts hints and the rest of it being good.
Either way, whoever it is needs to release a full song or EP or something soon.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Guys, I tried to resist getting caught up in this mystery, but I’m not sure it’s possible. I finally watched the videos, and you might be able to count me in on the search.
If I am 100 percent honest, I have to say that just by reading the clues and the whole idea behind rebirth, change of direction, etc. my initial thought was that maybe it is Britney Spears attempting a comeback under a new persona. She has been known to do strange things before, and this would definitely fit into (what I perceive) her psyche to at times be. She has always wanted to one-up people, and this series would be a perfect attempt at upstaging Lady Gaga. The only problem is, I’m not sold on the eyes and, with all due respect, if it’s Spears, she has spent quite a bit of time in the gym compared to when I last saw her (it’s very possible).
On the other hand, Lady Gaga would make complete sense with rebirth possibly being an attempt at taking the music scene in a whole new direction. The other clues just make sense for someone like Gaga.
I think whomever this might be, it is brilliant in the event that there might be a huge reveal at some point. It is also brilliant in the fact that, look what we’ve done. We’ve already latched on and are trying to unscramble the codes while he/she is sitting by laughing. Interesting thought…could this be a Marilyn Manson spawn or a possible side project?
Regardless, I see this as being a huge set up, dragging all of us along for a huge reveal at the MTV Video Awards.
February 11th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Excellent investigative work here. Really impressed. You wanna tackle JFK next? I’m curious to know who this artist is. I don’t think it’s Christina BUT if it is, good for her. The beats are on point. This is what reinvention is all about-it has to start here. Buzz buzz buzz.
February 11th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Ha! Fataah, I would love to say I’m even close to that level – this is more a result of too much David Lynch and X-Files.
I’m still working on explaining Mulholland Drive.
February 12th, 2010 at 3:07 am
it’s XTINA imo…
February 12th, 2010 at 3:08 am
BIONICALLY CRAVIN’ HER!!
February 12th, 2010 at 9:51 am
[...] Free Music « Unraveling “iamamiwhoami” (with videos) [...]
February 14th, 2010 at 4:45 pm
OMG it is Christina. If you number the alphabet and correspond each letter to the titles of the videos you will figure it out. also compare her teeth in the video and then look up Christina’s teeth. the crooked teeth give it away.
February 15th, 2010 at 6:00 am
After having watched these videos about a hundred times more I honestly don’t see Little Boots pulling this off. She’s not edgy enough. Now I’m leaning towards Aphex Twin. Would be most exciting if this was something new though!
February 15th, 2010 at 11:48 am
Marker, totally – part of me wants it to be a re-invention of a current artist, but the other part of me is dying for some new blood to just blow the game wide open!
February 23rd, 2010 at 11:21 am
[...] are four species of Mandragora, of which Officinarum is one. In our previous iamamiwhoami post, we dug into the history of Mandragora as a plant genus. All that jazz about fertility, rebirth and [...]
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:58 am
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March 9th, 2010 at 10:07 am
[...] Unraveling “iamamiwhoami” (with videos) New iamamiwhoami Video Defines the Species iamamiwhoami: Huldra + Mandragora Welcome to iamamiwhoami (The Fifth Video) [...]
March 12th, 2010 at 1:30 am
Theres also a lot of asuming that the girl in the video is the artist. what if she is just another clue or a red hering?
March 12th, 2010 at 2:08 am
she does look alot like lady gaga though
March 12th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
It’s uararuwhoaru on the iamamiwhoami youtube channel. Just FYI.