The installation/set is meant to be understood as a metaphor. It represents the current zeitgeist, which is heavily influenced by industrial mass production. The composition consists of a variety of (utilitarian) items and (decorative) objects. At one time, these objects brought their owners varying degrees of happiness, as well as financial burden. In a short span of time, they lost not only their monetary value but also their utility, often being replaced by newer models. Each component is an artifact of our throwaway culture, rooted in the market economy and neoliberalism.
The turbo-capitalist economic system, which demands growth and elevates competition to the highest principle, is inherently unsustainable. The planet's resources are finite, after all. Moreover, a global ecological catastrophe already seems almost unavoidable.
While the set may appear absurd or grotesque, it reveals a mechanism of the capitalist economy. The value of many products—whether Apple devices, Nike shoes, or Red Bull energy drinks—rests more on the brand (label) and its associated image than on the worth of the materials or ingredients. This image is deliberately constructed through idols serving as brand ambassadors and stylized advertising. Consumers are led to believe that the brand is key to the success of the ambassador, though in reality, the opposite is true.
Similarly, we have transformed the perceived value of the objects used by presenting them in a new context: turning trash into art.
Cooperation with Bertram Schrettl aka Bertram Schrecklich.
July 2018