Many have written about this book as of late, many have already seen it; I know I'm coming to the party late thanks to Canada Post and some confusion between my old mailbox and my new one but hey, never too late when it comes to something as special as Kate Bingaman's new book Obsessive Consumption. I could talk about the reason Kate started her daily purchase drawings; her unique response to credit card debt and her artistic penance until her debt was repaid; but many already have and many already know. But what I'd like to say is Kate is an original, her ideas are unique and one-of-a-kind. Her thoughts behind her daily drawings is brilliant, her dedication to persevere has to be acknowledged and her work is inspiring. The book, part diary, part sketchbook takes us through a selection of her daily purchase drawings, most of which are mundane things such as toothpaste, laundry soap and band-aids; but through this journey of purchasing the mundane (and sometimes splurges) we connect. We draw comfort in the familiar, the beautiful lines and patterns in her drawings and hand lettering and we feel better about our own personal consumerism and maybe laugh at ourselves or perhaps even find something new about ourselves we didn't know. A cool book to ponder. Available from Kate (includes a daily drawing), Amazon, Princeton Architectural Press or at Powell's.
Obsessive Consumption :
What Did You Buy Today?
Kate Bingaman-Burt
ISBN 9781568988900
Kate Bingaman-Burt is an assistant professor of graphic design at Portland State University. She is a founding partner of the Public Design Center. Her work has been featured in the New York Times; in numerous magazines, including Print, Adorn, Dwell, and How; and in books including Hand Job and Handmade Nation.
12 comments:
Oh yes! I'm absolutely loving this artists and her illustrations. She has a lovely blog by the same name which is quickly becoming one of my favorites!
I love the concept as well as the drawings...maybe thats what i should do when i look through the anthro catalog...draw it!
I love her. I don't have the book, as I'm trying to not to constantly "consume", but I think I'll order it!
Sounds very interesting! I love the drawings. So fun and creative.
http://www.pinkbloggirl.com/
Thanks for this post - I passed on the info to my art journal group - your blog is always one of the first places i visit
Thanks Maude, I'm glad you commented. An art journal group sounds intriguing!
I flipped through this book a week or so ago, so cute and creative! And a bit depressing, seeing how much we spend in our daily lives. If I were to make a book of everything I spend it would probably fill up an entire encyclopedia in a month. oy, I spend way too much.
What a great book! I am definitely late to this party but no longer thanks to you!:)
that is an interesting take on consumption. I like the idea of really thinking/writing down about what I buy but it is hard and tedious. Drawing is a good way to add some joy to the process of actively thinking about your consumption.thanks for sharing
Do you realize you wrote "Obsessive Compulsive" in the first paragraph when you introduce the book, instead of "Obsessive Consumption"? Just an observation...
Great White - Oh my gosh! And you're the only and first one to notice, or maybe brave enough to tell me? Thank you! Yikes!
thanks jan for the post and thanks all for the comments. No worries on the compulsive slip...it happens a lot!
thanks again!
kate
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