This collection of work grew from a guided journey and an exploration of ideas that has not only encouraged my growth as an artist, but as a responsible citizen sharing this world with others. Over the duration of this evolution I have become increasingly attentive to what I feel is our collective manufactured existence; the things that we produce and the influence that this production has on our lives. From the built environment, material and immaterial commodities, advertising and marketing, consumption, sustainability, etc., all these continuously shifting factors act as constants in our lives and shape our psychosocial development.
To better understand this, I have delved into looking at both myself and others for evidence of the various effects from living in a consumer culture. Drawing also from extensive research in the history of as well as contemporary theories on production, mass media culture, addiction, exploitation of people and resources, and the growth of technology, I look to increase not only my own awareness on these subjects, but to also educate others.
My process of making work is a meditation in order to better facilitate inspection intertwined with introspection. A finished piece becomes an externalization of this effort, but not as a conclusion. The various mixed media included in All These Things is the culmination of an ongoing search that encourages conversation and further evaluation of our roles in a commodity culture. By coming at this multi-faceted topic from different directions, I am offering a radial view into the many possible considerations for what it means to be a consumer and how this affects us all.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uiowa.edu/oai:ir.uiowa.edu:etd-5601 |
| Date | 01 May 2015 |
| Creators | Blackman, Derek Louis |
| Contributors | Rich, Jeff, 1977- |
| Publisher | University of Iowa |
| Source Sets | University of Iowa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright 2015 Derek Blackman |
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