£5.73: An Online Shopping Action, 2009.
In August 2009 I spent 8 hours worth of wages on 8 products each priced exactly £5.73, which was my hourly wage rate at the time and also the UK national minimum wage. The products I chose each represented one hour of my discontent during the course of an eight hour working day. My actions parodied the ways that sections of society (particularly young people and members of counter-cultures) express rebellion by consuming fashion products with shocking or threatening aesthetics, eg. punk, goth and heavy metal. I was interested in the Marxist idea that the working class 'produce' themselves and their situation economically through a process of reification whereby they buy back their time in the form of the products of their own labour. A few months previously, anarchist band Rage Against the Machine enjoyed massive sales in protest against the music industry, despite the fact that they are signed to major record label Sony. This piece was made for the show 'Ouroboros' which was based around ideas of autophagy and self-cannibalism.
1. Powerblade Cutting Knife, £5.73 www.totaltoolbox.co.uk
2. Box of 100 Vinyl Gloves, £5.73 www.amazon.co.uk
3. Balaclava, £5.73 www.demon-tweeks.co.uk
4. Zombie Rat Prop, £5.73 www.props4shows.co.uk
5. Rage Against the Machine DVD, £5.73 www.lovefilm.com
6. Mask Mould, £5.73 www.fredaldous.co.uk
7. Lighter Fluid, £5.73 www.choiceful.com
8. Metal Handcuffs, £5.73 www.sillyjokes.co.uk
