Not Shop

To explore value of my tip objects further, I created Not Shop, a retail-like gallery where the MFA class could browse, select and “purchase” the found objects. The objects were presented as luxury items, presented in a minimal environment. The purchased object was wrapped in an artist-made bag which was labelled with a value judgement, such as useless, precious, needs good home or throw away.

‘Shoppers’ were then asked to place their purchase in a recycling bin near the shop exit. The shop continually reassigned value – displaying discarded tip objects, reinventing them as desirable commodities, before returning them to waste. Not Shop offered the pleasure of shopping while preventing ownership, prompting reflection on value, consumption and circular use.