Consumption is an ever present theme within human existence. Our devouring tendencies are innate as physiological needs must be met daily. The influx of excess consumption is sold to society with empty promises to ease the pain of existence. Contemporary society embraces materialism, a physical consumption of goods and services, and the falsification of one’s self via virtual consumption. Use of virtual outlets causes feelings of isolation, narcissism, and maladaptive perfectionism to further disrupt the human psyche.
Society is unknowingly waging a war against false idols, fake news, and constructed happiness propagated over virtual media platforms. Competition to achieve virtualized proof of happiness keeps society buried in its screens.
The work is observing how the creative could oppose the consumer. The opposition is not a strict dichotomy of two non-overlapping parts rather an intersectionality is present within the practice of collage. The creative process has relation to the process of consumption.
The medium is constructed of items saved from the trash or ‘death’ of consumption. Found objects and scraps of paper are be consumed by creativity. By using recycled items and images there is manipulation of our shared consciousness. An expansion of the ideas present in the life of the object are ripped, cut, and handled to reconstruct the previous narrative to what I desire.
Within the collage of consumption there is use of discarded papers, plastics, wood frames as well as paint and glue to hold everything together. These elements, man made or of the Earth, are here with us to stay. Matter can not be created or destroyed, we are all one and of the same. Through collage I am able to explore the boundaries of society observing our nature of consumption and of creativity. Ripping, cutting, and reworking images from society to be used as a background for a larger message.
For more information please follow the link to view a presentation of my Thesis; Physical Distancing: The Fractured Experience and the User as a Raw Material – now published in the Drew University library
