Identify: Analysis of Salad Fingers and the work of David Firth

David Firth, the internet's answer to David Lynch, is a misunderstood genius. Unfairly dismissed as a shock artist, Firth's work often delves into psychoanalysis, surrealist imagery and satire. His most well known web series by a large margin is Salad Fingers, a series of short five to ten minute cartoons depicting a strange asexual character called Salad Fingers and his/her life in a sort of apocalyptic wasteland/ freudian dreamscape. The themes and ideas presented are suggestive and abstract rather than surface level, which is why a lot of the surface level symbolism and imagery is dismissed as 'random'.

The creator brings up the question of Salad Fingers' gender throughout the series at numerous points, and this asexuality is reflected in the design of the character. Salad Fingers' character design has no distinct gender features and is never addressed to by any of the other characters, hence the gender is unclear. Salad Fingers' voice is equally ambigious.

The overall aesthetic of the world, consisting of ruined buildings, flat plains and washed out colours suggests an apocalyptic event took place shaping Salad Fingers' world. This apocalyptic feel is reinforced by the oppressive soundscape, which mostly consists of low pitch synth and Boards of Canada. All these design elements form together to create Salad Finger's nightmare of a world, the art-style reminiscent of several artists from Francis Bacon to Salvador Dali. Environments are textured and detailed, the linework expressive and bold, which lends to this aesthetic.