The installation is built around a disposable vape featuring a color lcd display. This object struck me as a very powerful symbol of modern hyper-accelerated capitalism. A product extremely detrimental to one's health and the environment, yet branded as a quirky accessory with it's display feature. This expandable assembly of lithium and silicon reflects an increasingly popular online aesthetic, implementing despair into cuteness. Cutecore/tramuacore opposes the fake pureness of kawaii aesthetics; instead of attempting to hide the miseries of life, it encompasses them. This trend has become more popular in recent years, as we accessorize our way out of pain in the progressively hopeless global landscape.
The vape's screen displays an artwork originally posted on Danbooru, which circulated the internet for some time. The image depicts an anime girl with amputated limbs and bandaged head on a hospital bed. While depicting something tragic, the picture does not contain any gore elements, furthermore it includes bright natural light and a colorful bouquet of flowers. It remains cute while not denying the hardship.
A simple enclosure comprised of white plastic, shiny fasteners and clear acrylic, houses an electronically controlled air pump slowly smoking the vape. The assembly including silicone tubing, aims to mimic medical life support equipment, which provocatively depletes the liquid left in the disposable, slowly leading to its imminent death. With every “breath,” the device displays the previously mentioned image.
