Gallery Essay Assignment

 

Nancy Buchanan's "Walk On", 2021

                                                      Essay Assignment 

 

            Overconsumption is a large problem that the United States has been facing for many years. With overconsumption comes a strain on our resources in order to create the products that the consumers want. The advancement of technology has made consumption even easier for consumers as people can now get any products they want at the touch of a button. Many artists have taken notice to this situation and have used their talents to shine a light on the issue at hand. One artist who’s project stood out to me was Nancy Buchanan’s “Walk On”.

            Nancy Buchanan has been known for her outstanding artworks on activism. She is known to have had played a very important role in the 1970s during the feminist art movement in Los Angeles. A lot of her work has been collected by widely known museums such as the Museum of Modern Art. The work "Walk On" was an interesting art piece to look at. With multiple images of shoes being scattered on the canvas it makes one think about how many pairs of shoes they might own. A person may even have shoes in their closet that they still have yet to year and begin to branch off to thinking what else they have to keep the ball rolling. Nancy Buchanan showcases a lot of work regarding overconsumption, showing how obsessed people are with having things that we don’t need which has a terrible impact on our environment. Another one of her works that deals with similar topics is her piece "It's About Time". The piece has a similar look to "Walk On" with photos of luxurious watches scattered across the photo. It also delves into the topic of overconsumption due to people's obsession with status and luxury. With consumption comes the way that it’s being advertised to the public that makes people want certain products so badly.

            Advertisers use their skills in photography and video to make their product more appealing to the public. The marketing strategy that most advertisers use is to make the consumer feel like having their product will make their life better and possibly elevate their status. In one of our readings from John Berger, he talks about this by stating, “It proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more. This more, it proposes, will make us in some way richer- even though we will be poorer by having spent our money” (Page 2). Due to these marketing strategies of making people feel insecure about their lives or the way they dress people feel the need to buy products that will make them feel better by themselves. The more insecure people feel, the more they buy, the more consumption being done. Another quote from the same reading says, “The happiness of being envied is glamour. Being envied is a solitary form of reassurance” (Page 3). This quote made me think of sneakers and how sneakers have become a hot spot for overconsumption due to many people, particularly men, wanting the latest trending shoes that they’re willing to pay any price for them. A lot of people wear these shoes to be envied and to feel better about themselves. Since more and more sneakers are being released, more consumption is being done so people can stay on the latest trends. A final quote that was used was, “But in the sense that money is the token of, and the key to, every human capacity” (Page 8). I think this ties in greatly with the artwork from the gallery due to how much people spend on items that they don’t need. With people now being able to make online purchases with their credit card information saved on their computers and phones or even cryptocurrency to make their purchases even easier to navigate, this creates an increase in the problem of overconsumption. With more money moving into the economy, there’s more consumption happening. If someone has a lot of money that they can spend, they will spend it and that can have real world consequences on our resources.

            Overconsumption is a problem that’s going to take so many people to overcome. It’s something that is difficult to put a stop to, unless the government can shine a light on this issue as well and try to make change happen. Something that can be done is purchasing sustainable and eco-friendly materials. It’d be great if companies did their best to make their products better for the environment, but due to how much it would cost for the companies to put this into effect they may not wish to do it even though it helps our planet much more. We can also just try to buy less. This is a very simple solution but it isn’t easy for some people to do. It’d be great if people used their choices to help the planet. This artwork connects greatly with what we’ve been discussing in class about money, publicity, and the way companies uses the insecurity in people to make them want to buy their products to have a better and easier life for themselves. Overconsumption is a problem that can be taken on but practically everyone has to be involved in order to help our planet and our resources.

Nancy Buchanan's "It's About Time" (2014)
Showcases obsession with time, status, and luxury.

Amy Castellon - Overconsumption