A visual investigation of fetish in contemporary society

This project is a visual investigation of fetish in contemporary society, developed through the selection and representation of collected objects, with a particular focus on toys. Various definitions of fetish are explored through its development in the modem world, from its first use to describe a religious object in the fifteenth century, to the use of the term fetish in an economic sense by Karl Marx, and to the use of fetish in a psychological sense by Sigmund Freud. Contemporary understanding of the term fetish is further developed to explore the role that the readymade object plays in society as described by cultural theorist William Pietz. A context in Fine Art is offered historically through Andy Warhol and his repetitions of popular culture iconography, and in a more contemporaneous sense by the work of Zoe Leonard, Wolfgang Laib and the Chapman Brothers. This investigation is carried out through the production and presentation of sculpture. Objects are sourced from the everyday world; manipulated, and represented to explore and develop ideas about the role that fetish plays in the contemporary world. Objects that are sourced for this project are chosen to explore the changing and varied definition of fetish. These include objects of mass consumption and advertising such as commercial toys, spiritual or religious objects such as icons or statues, and objects that are regarded as having a more contemporary and personal sense of fetish. Fetish is shown through the project to be a valid descriptor of certain relationships to objects in the world. Toys were used to drive an investigation of fetish throughout the project, and fulfil the definitions of what fetish might be. The project has shown that fetish is a term that can be widely used in culture to describe relationships to objects.