Self made
“Self-Made” is a series of remnants of Generation Z’s search for permanence in an attention-deficit-disorder society. Also known as the ‘Me’ Generation or “Selfie” Generation- Z’s have mastered the catered image of self.
They design the face they will present to the world; they build a platform on which to receive praise and filter out criticism. Thus they are are fragile and seek-self in free-markets and through worship of famous idols. They construct and live imitation lifestyles that are spotted with looming clouds of emptiness and boredom.
What will stand to commemorate such an indulgent indifference? A telling contemporary artifact that bares the legacy of the “throw-away” generation- stripped of filters and enhancement.
The objects are no more then a façade, superficially beautiful, but lacking in depth. They resemble cheap modern mass production, but are constructed with materials associated with luxury and employ ancient handcraft technique. Handled with neurotic, obsessive control of the material to fit our desires— yet they remain distinctly human.
They gild the lily and mock the genuine. The title “Self-Made” references several examples of generation Z#s legacy from hip-hop rags to riches stories, boasting of frivolous spending after a childhood of counting pennies, to the back-to-our-roots youth movement of super-DIYers, making something ‘uniquely of their own hands’ that 20 years ago was solely produced so.
“Self-Made” is an archetype of a souvenir, a series of commemorative objects for the age of the catered image- but selected from the cutting room floor. An ode to the true legacy of the 21st century consumer and his/her many short-lived personalities and object relationships.
Photos by Artemis Meereis 2016