(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2016) Carignan, Chad James; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Dean Adams
I am driven by a desire to understand economic practices through the production of a commodity. Specialization and repetition as modes of production allow me to model the structures which modern societies are built upon. The objects, which are miniature cinderblocks, are extruded, cut, stacked, fired and assembled as structures with the blocks serving as markers of commodity. We are living in a time in which the practices required to support our current standards of living are in question, from concerns with sustainability to workers rights. Through this process I gain insight into contemporary practices of production. Viewer participation provides the opportunity for the work to transform from a marker of commodity to an object with a value of use for the consumer.
