John Dies At The End / David Wong

Description

This publication examines the emotional and symbolic power of objects within twentieth-century visual culture, focusing on the intersection between consumer design, fetishization, and photographic representation. Through a curated sequence of images and essays, the book situates material surfaces — plastics, metals, fabrics, industrial forms — as carriers of psychological and erotic meaning.

Rather than presenting fetish imagery as marginal or purely sexual, the work frames it within broader artistic and cultural movements, including surrealism, advertising photography, and conceptual art practices. The sequencing emphasizes texture, form, and surface tension, encouraging a contemplative reading of objects as extensions of desire and identity.

Santrauka (LT)

Šis leidinys nagrinėja objektų kultūros, medžiagiškumo ir emocinio bei erotinio krūvio santykį XX a. vizualinėje kultūroje. Fotografijų ir tekstų visuma pristato vartojimo objektus kaip simbolines struktūras, siejamas su siurrealizmo, reklamos fotografijos ir konceptualaus meno kontekstais.

Context

During the late twentieth century, a number of publications began exploring the relationship between consumer culture and fetishistic perception. Objects such as telephones, mannequins, synthetic materials, and industrial products were photographed not merely as commodities but as emotionally charged forms.

This approach connects directly to earlier artistic traditions, particularly surrealist explorations of fragmented bodies and tactile surfaces associated with artists such as Hans Bellmer. By shifting attention from the human body to the object world, the book reflects a broader cultural transition toward material fetishism embedded in modern consumer society.

Publications like The Ecstasy of Things demonstrate how photographic books function as context-creating devices: sequencing, typography, and material presentation alter the viewer’s perception, transforming images from commercial or erotic references into cultural artifacts.

Visual Notes

• Strong emphasis on glossy surfaces and industrial textures
• Studio lighting reminiscent of advertising photography
• Sequencing creates psychological progression rather than narrative
• Typography minimal, museum-catalogue influence

Availability

Copies from the archive collection may occasionally be available for collectors, researchers, or institutions.
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