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'Supermarketism' ‘Supermarketism’ By Charlie Trivers Student Number Z3195644 2010 Candidate Master of Fine Arts by Research University of New South Wales UNSW College of Fine Arts Cofa Program Code 2245 '(&( Welcome customers to Supermarketism. Supermarketism is a body of sculptural work that started in 2005 and now in 2010 continues not only as a relatively short- term research project but also as a body of work that will continue well into the future. Much of the aesthetic and conceptual explorations made in the five years of this research will be re-examined, refined and re-defined for many years to come as both formally refined objects and installations of social, political and artistic critique. I write this preface in the aftermath of writing the story. In fact, I needed to write the story to be able to both explain the arguments it contains and to clarify them for myself. The presentation therefore is not only an argument but also the story of how that argument developed. This thesis is the narrative of how Supermarketism developed initially by mispronouncing Suprematism. It tells the story of my artistic background and the subconscious reasons a mistake became a body of artistic research. I did not set out to explore an identified gap in knowledge in the field of sculpture. Rather, I set about a methodology similar to Malevich in exploring a cube as a sculptural variation to the Suprematist exploration of the square. The methodologies, influenced by my ‘conceptualist’ viewpoints, are very different to Malevich’s non-objective viewpoints. It was the discoveries that this methodology and its influences that allowed me to come to a seldom investigated, observational point. In addition, with that point, further interrelated components evolved. The links between the world of commerce and the world of art are concrete blocks in the brickwork of our society. The current visual face of the world of commerce is the Big Box Supermarket complex. Most would say that the world of art is far too sophisticated to have designated car park space in this region. My line of argument is contrary to this assumption. I believe that even in this ‘no frills’ divide in the world of commerce, the world of art is a major stakeholder. I come to this line of argument initially by making objects that conceptually explore consumerism while making highly desirable, well-manufactured consumer objects. In the process of making, my iconography is increasingly sourced from the elements of Big Box Architecture. I find that many of the elements that I have investigated exist 2 in sources from Minimalist Sculpture to the much earlier Non-Objective geometric abstraction. In fact, Malevich himself made sculptural Architectons that he saw as a blueprint to a new architectural aesthetic, which has an uncanny resemblance to a Mega Mall. In Conclusion I write the Supermarketism e-Manifesto “The Non-Objectionable World". This is a take on Malevich’s manifesto as an ultimate sales letter. A most appropriate and appropriated way to sum up. 3 ##"("(' '(&(/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////9 $(&". #!)'(#!&'(#)$&!&('!//////////////////////////////////////= "(&#)(#"/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////= &#)"//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////@ -#)'-)$&!&('!1/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////8; $(&+#.#!(#5)$&!&(6%)&////////////////////////////////////////////98 )$&!&('!#!$#'(#"'///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////98 '!& *//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////9: $(&&."&' "-#*&' ")"&' ""#*&' " -)"&' "#*&' "////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////:> $(&#)&.-"!)$&!&('!"!*&'#"'////////////////////////////;7 #!(&'(&(#"///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////;9 &"'(&(#"////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////;: $(&<.&(#"'////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////;; ( &(#"/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////;; %)'(#"#$"("') $()&////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////<7 /////////////////////////////////////////////<: $(&=.)(#(#,'////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////<> &# 2'& ##,'/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////<> #,#&-//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////<@ *2' //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////== $(&>.""('//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////>7 $(&?.#" )'#"#&()$&!&('!0 "'(#.3( #"0 (#" #& 4////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////?8 )$$ !"(&-#&! #" )'#"#&()!#& -#"/////////////////////////////////////?8 )$&!&('!/#!/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////?9 ') #)!"(&-#&#('&) $()&///////////////////////////@: #&$-/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////@? '(# )'(&(#"'///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////878 4 Originality Statement ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgment is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Copyright Statement ‘I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the abstract of my thesis in Dissertations Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.’ Authenticity Statement ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ 5 $(&"/ #!)'(#!&'(#)$&!&('! "(&#)(#" Welcome customers to Supermarketism. Supermarketism is a body of sculptural work that started in 2005 and now in 2010 continues not only as a relatively short- term research project but also as a body of work that will continue well into the future. Much of the aesthetic and conceptual explorations made in the five years of this research will be re-examined, refined and re-defined for many years to come as both formally refined objects and installations of social, political and artistic critique. I write this preface in the aftermath of writing the story. In fact, I needed to write the story to be able to both explain the arguments it contains and to clarify them for myself. The presentation therefore is not only an argument but also the story of how that argument developed. This thesis is the narrative of how Supermarketism developed initially by mispronouncing Suprematism 1. It tells the story of my artistic background and the subconscious reasons a mistake became a body of artistic research. I did not set out to explore an identified gap in knowledge in the field of sculpture. Rather, I set about a methodology similar to Malevich in exploring a cube as a sculptural variation to the Suprematist exploration of the square. The methodologies, influenced by my ‘conceptualist’ viewpoints, are very different to Malevich’s non-objective viewpoints. It was the discoveries that this methodology and its influences that allowed me to come to a seldom investigated, observational point. In addition, with that point, further interrelated components evolved.
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