fetish

a bit of a laden, perhaps over-determined term and therefore a bit of a hobbyhorse of critical theorists, who could sometimes be more careful to specify what kind of fetish they are talking about exactly. derived from the portuguese feitiço, a term originally used by anthropologists to designate (human-made) objects believed to possess some form of magical or supernatural power over human beings, it was then imported by marx to designate the generalized enchantment of the commodity over nineteenth-century western europe. for marx, the commodity is at first sight a self-evident thing, a material object with an evident use-value, though the analysis of the commodity under the capitalist mode of production “brings out that it is a very strange thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties”. common usage of the term fetish is however closest to freud’s use of it: for him the fetish is an object (usually a non-sexualized body part) that comes to act as a substitute for another desired but unattainable object, and that therefore becomes an object of (perverse) sexual fixation. the classic examples include shoes/feet, tissues, fabrics, and so forth. in ordinary parlance, we borrow a bit from both marx and freud when we say someone has a fetish for sneakers, gadgets, gizmos, and so forth…

Gizmo 2010

Posted on 03/11/2011 by marc

name: Bernardo / age: 28 / profession: artist / location: Amsterdam / weekday: thursday / reference: 2010, 3 polystyrene objects. photography by Thamanta Roeber

Frederick the cactus makes me happy

Posted on 25/11/2013 by marc

name: Carolina / age: 23 / profession: graphic designer & student / location: Bogotá / weekday: monday / reference: small cactus are important. lego skeleton is a gift from my boyfriend. plants and toys can be friends

bouche-évier

Posted on 15/01/2012 by marc

name: marc / age: 30 / profession: artist / location: amsterdam / weekday: wednesday / reference: sink stopper, marcel duchamp, 1964. he made it unintentionally, filling in the leaking section of his shower head with lead. it eventually became unusable and he had it cast.