Consume or Die

Again, I'm trying to simplify my ideas. 

I made this one with the "consume or die" mantra in mind. 

I wanted to convey how we can sometimes put to much value on things that aren't really important that we buy into the consumerist ideals too much in life. 

I kept the box I made, white so the viewer is not distracted by what I wanted 

to show. I used a strip of yellow ( which can give a feeling of joy and hope to some people) and a strip of black ( can give a feeling of death or the unknown) to  create a juxtaposition between the two emotions. I also feel that it makes the sculpture stand out more. 

I used a Jean Paul Gaultier bottle in the shape of a muscular mans upper/middle body as I feel that it glorifies one of the consumerist ideas that if you wear this aftershave you will become more desirable like the bottle. I then painted the bottle (and used a manikin head for the skull) to create the skeleton and scratched into the paint with my finger nails making it less desirable as if the flaking paint is stripping away the 'beauty' to reveal ones true self that we will all become. Also the appearance of the distressed paint reminds me of body paint that has become wet revealing the true person underneath. 

I used a broken comb as 'wings' to emphasise that we almost idol worship our materlistic needs. If we buy things it will make us feel more complete (an angel being a symbol of divinity) 

Also I used the comb as I had bought it and probably paid too much for such a thing only to discover it had snapped in my bag one day. It reminds me to not buy such things that I don't really need myself. Also written across it was "lifestyle elegance" which I thought pretty much sums up what I'm trying to convey about putting that on such a thing as a comb.