Flesh Bag
Flesh Bag is an installation that challenges viewers to contemplate themes of hyper-consumerism, surveillance capitalism, and materialism. Flesh Bag consists of nine active monitors, each displaying one of three video pieces on repeat. The video pieces are comprised of recorded interactions between the maker and a digital space. These heavily edited videos highlight in rapid fashion, the building process of the conceptual product: Flesh Bag. Drawing inspiration from high-fashion brands like Hermes' Birkin, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, the installation invites us to reflect upon the nature of consumer culture and the value we assign to material possessions. Flesh Bag presents the viewer with an opportunity to reconsider contemporary society's relationship with consumption and the relentless pursuit of luxury goods.
The work is particularly invested in digital online culture, as it seeks to simultaneously celebrate and critique certain aspects of the seemingly infinite virtual space. By navigating the complexities and contradictions of online culture, Shannon’s artistic practice aims to provide nuanced insights into the ways in which digital technologies shape our perceptions and experiences of the world. By using technology in this way, she hopes to encourage discussion of the impact the digital space has had on humans and our relationship with consumption. Flesh Bag acts as a means to critique our obsession with materialism and hyper-consumerism within online spaces.