'Blue Apple' 10.09

‘Blue Apple’

The apples are a tongue in cheek, satirical comment upon the role of marketing and merchandising in the art world. The parody of selling a pretty, but pointless object. Although they are all hand made, they are intended to look uniform and attractive, in a utilitarian, special, but accessible way.

I chose an apple, not only because it was the most utilitarian, benign and available market symbol I could use, it also references the sexy presentation of ‘Macintosh chic’. But the central reason for its use, was its jarring dysfunction.

Cast out of jesmonite, the apple is inedible. Its colour broadcasts this contradiction. Its size to weight ratio, polished surface, electric colour, and slick vacuum package, are designed to stimulate our pre-conditioned checklist for object fetish* desire.

Each apple is individually signed and numbered, originally forming part of a ‘point of sale, shop display’. I priced them, (the garish orange sticker is part of the piece) as if they were an ‘Apple’ accessory, like a case or charger cable: dispensable, disposable and purchasable without thought or consequence.

The piece formed part of a show, titled ‘Shopfloor’ exhibited in Bath 03.03.2009.

*’Fe¢tish n. inanimate object worshipped by primitive peoples for its supposed inherent magical powers or as being inhabited by a spirit; principle etc. irrationally reverenced; (Psych.) abnormal stimulus, or object, of sexual desire; hence ~ISM (3), ~IST (2), ns., ~i¢stIC a. [f. F ¦etiche f. Port. ¦eitico charm, orig. adj. = made by art, f. L ¦actitious FACTITIOUS] ‘ – THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY