To confront uncritical enthusiasm and devotion to material items and iconography I am embodying an alternate version of myself, the person I am tempted to be. I desire to be hedonistic and individualistic to find purpose, identity, and meaning in an unstable world. Dealing with obsession my entire life has left me wanting to fill the void with consumerism. Garfield is the obsession of choice as on his own he has similar desires and ideals as well as being a blank slate for marketing.

I, and my character, are overwhelmed by the world, and Garfield is not. Garfield is content with who he is, something that the character longs for... She is lonely and looks for stability and love through a fictional character. She loves Garfield because he doesn't ask her to change. This hyper obsession is used as an absurdist way of dealing with emotions, trauma, and discomfort.
Through the lense of nostalgia the character will project and look to Garfield as an idol in order to relive the joy and feeling of stability of “her” past. To fill the space, I plan to create multiples through slip casting and taking used/broken ready-mades in an attempt to never lose the "high" found from consumerism, hoarding, and collecting. Through a full “Garfield Room” installation, active performance, and the repetition of slip casting, chewing, and spitting I am to show the instability of this character and the peak of maladaptive coping skills that consumers can take.