Labels: An Art Project

Labels was heavily inspired by the Conceptual Art Movement, a movement in art that emphasizes the concepts an artwork conveys instead of its mere aesthetics; I created this artwork after reading Art after Philosophy and After, a book written by renowned conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth.

This artwork is meant to help viewers investigate how labels impact our perception of the world around us. In this project, physical depictions of goods are instead replaced by labels and packaging for those products; sports bras are in the closet simply because there is a sports bra label and Prang markers are on the desk simply because there is Prang packaging. This project is meant to help viewers question whether labels are effective in our perception and identification of objects, or whether it is better for us to see the objects themselves in order to identify and make the most of these objects.

In other words, if I gave you an opaque, unopened cardboard box labeled "shampoo," would you believe that there is shampoo in the box simply because the label says that there is shampoo, or would you feel the need to open the box to confirm that there is indeed shampoo inside? What about this art project: do you think the labels in this art project are sufficient to convey that there are sports bras and cotton clothing in the closet and markers and scented erasers on the desk? Or would you have preferred it if I provided physical representations of these objects in order to confirm that they indeed exist in the space depicted in this project?

A clear, concise label can make our perception of the world effortless and unambiguous. At the same time, labels could oversimplify our perception of the world and package whatever complexity we see in the world around us into a confining box. By publishing this blog post, I hope this art work is the catalyst for rich discussion about labels and human perception. If you have any thoughts or alternative interpretations to this art project, feel free to post them in this discussion thread or in the comments below!