Consumption Project Notes Part A

I don't have a definite idea that sticks out for me for this project that I'd like to persue. Similarly, I found several different definitions for consumption that I might like to go with, but not a definite one I want to go with. With my consumption log, I noticed how many different "beauty products" I typically use, and I think that is not just me, but I think many women probably do. The consumption log got me thinking more about consumption and possible ideas for a project during the time I was doing it.

One thing I noticed with the beauty products is that they have a lot of ingredients that you would probably need like a chemistry degree to understand. I think it is kind of bizzarre how we consume many things that we probably don't even know what half the ingredients really are, but yet we willingly do so trusting in the manufacturer and the government. In high school I found an article on what some of the common ingredients in shampoo are or do. I still have this article and if I decide to go this route I can pull it out. My idea with that concept was to make a poster on Photoshop with a shampoo bottle or something and have an image of a magnifying glass over the label with the ingredients that most people probably would not know what they are emphasized and maybe text saying What are you really consuming? or something along those lines. Then, the other part of this would be interactive somehow where the viewer would try and match the ingredient to what its purpose is or a non-scientific term of what it is (like an activity you might find at the Mint Museum of Art that goes along with the piece).

Another thing I noticed, was that many smaller products that you can buy at the store have UPC symbols printed on them. I was thinking that I could use Photoshop to create a space or room where everything is available for consumption and have barcodes on everything, including things that may not be expected to have them. I think some of the reasons behind consumption at such high levels today is mass production,commodification, and easy access. We typically don't think as much now about it. Years ago, if someone wanted some milk, they'd have to go milk their cow that they had to feed and maintain. Now-a-days it's like "O let me run by the store on my way home from work and get x,y, and z." The mass media also sends a constant stream of news, music, fashion, etc.

Another topic I was originally thinking about doing with my project was anxiety. It definetely has the ability to consume. For a while one of the ways it manifested itself for me was the feeling of myself or other things being contaminated and using Germ-X excessively (like the big 40 oz. bottle in about a week). Pretty ridiculous. Also, washing my hands probably more than most. Like I felt like I needed to keep my hands clean. I'm not really sure where I'd go with this. One thought I had today was how overuse of hand sanitizers in our society is leading to the creation or superbacteria. My initial thought was to maybe create massive interpretations of superbacteria strands, like an installation where they huge like floor to cieling so the viewer would seem small being confronted by this massive thing. I'm not sure though. I might want to research it more if I go this route and maybe by learning more it would lead to something more. Another thought would maybe be abstract paintings using the shapes of these super bacteria, I don't know if that would be possible though.

A spin off of that last idea about the abstract paintings, could be to do them using images of the virus that causes what they used to call consumption (tuberculosis?).

Those are some of my ideas. Some input would be good, because I don't really have a clear idea that I plan to persue yet. Thanks!