"American Consumerism depicts the spaces built by large companies to persuade shoppers to purchase vast amounts of products and goods. These stores sell a range of items, some are essential, like food and clothing, while others such as electronics and toys are not entirely necessary. Even though consumers purchase physical goods from these spaces, corporations have convinced us that we are purchasing much more than an object. Many times the individual goods are aligned with a particular lifestyle a consumer hopes to associate with. I view the spaces in my photographs as a reflection of the individuals that shop there even though people are not shown. The products and spaces I depict have the potential to reveal the desires of individuals in our society and illustrate the unbalanced relationship of a materialistic culture." (Keith Yahrling)
I have been inspired by Keith Yahrling's series which documents American Consumerism and how people react and buy items due to branding. His series documents various shopping malls in America, as well as shelves that contain the same item of varying designs. Although my research is underpinned by research into hoarding and collecting, certain images that Yahrling captured needed to be mentioned, as they have been helpful towards my own photographic work.
Although these two images represent the theme of consumerism and how people are drawn in by colours and branding, they heavily influence how I want to capture some elements of repetition in my work. People who collect and hoard have the same item over and over again, but in differing styles and designs. The theme of repetition will become a frequent factor within my work.
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