SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD
«Spirits in the material world» speaks about the
construction of one’s own identity within consumer
capitalist society. The critique revolves around the book
«To Have or to Be» by the psychoanalyst Erich Fromm. It
discusses how, as a consequence of the industrial
system, which rewards values such as social prestige or
status, these have replaced the true values of being, and
individuals seek material wealth as the central value in
their lives. Everything revolves around capital,
production, and consumption. People construct a «self»
based on what they possess, rather than who they truly
are. Everything they buy represents an extension of their
own power, sustaining their sense of identity. However,
money, prestige, and things are something foreign to
them. Everything one has can be lost: properties, friends,
social position… Thus, in this paradigm, a question arises:
If I am what I have, and what I have I can lose, then who
am I?
Giulia Sarno 