An ode to our societal anxiety through industrial world relics.
Valérie Félix
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I think my current work is a lot about anxiety and meaninglessness in our capitalist/industrial world- especially here in the US.
I’ve certainly been feeling the weight of this expectation to produce and consume and “improve” constantly- that our worth is only in how much we work, and that our value is based on our job title. Especially now in this climate, a lot of people are losing their jobs because our highly capitalist system doesn’t ensure any security for people. Because if you’re not working, you’re not earning, and nothing is regulated. There is certainly this every-man-for-himself mindset here. Case in point, people are buying whole pallets of bread, toilet paper, and eggs and depriving the underprivileged their basic needs, and our government is run by these rich oligarchs who, as long as they’re making their billions, do not care if elderly people in Pasadena are without food. But I think my “official” description of my work is that it’s a playful critique of product design and consumerism.
© Text and all visuals by Erin Demastes
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