A wonderful and purely authentic exhibition to mock the absurdity of mass tourism and how it reduces a 1000 travel experiences into 1 standardized model.
Final year thesis project - BA (Hons).
Final year thesis project - BA (Hons).
Since 1961, the collectorTiphaine Guillermou travels inthe most visited corners of theplanet in quest of authenticethnic objects, totems orsouvenirs which stand out fortheir unique craft and savoir-faire.
Gathered here as a collectionand sorted by themes, theyrecreate the visual experienceof a journey.
The public is invited to seeallegedly unique and authenticpieces, staged as in anethnographic museum or a cabinetde curiosités.
Thus mis en scène, they leadthe visitor to wonder about thediscrepancy between their truestandardized nature and the waythey are represented. Just likewhen we travel, what we see isnothing but genuine. It is allfake pretending to be true.
Through this Collection, theessence of mass tourism is thusrevealed in its standardized,absurd, absolute form.
Gathered here as a collectionand sorted by themes, theyrecreate the visual experienceof a journey.
The public is invited to seeallegedly unique and authenticpieces, staged as in anethnographic museum or a cabinetde curiosités.
Thus mis en scène, they leadthe visitor to wonder about thediscrepancy between their truestandardized nature and the waythey are represented. Just likewhen we travel, what we see isnothing but genuine. It is allfake pretending to be true.
Through this Collection, theessence of mass tourism is thusrevealed in its standardized,absurd, absolute form.
BUY A SOUVENIR
Object of interesting glitteryaesthetic canons that a visitorbrings back home, the souvenir hasno other use than beinga physical support to set thetourists’ memory of a travel.
READYMADE-IN-CHINA - 1969
"Ny, Bali, Paris"
Molded plastic
Origin: China
The three rectangular pieces brought back by Tiphaine Guillermou were unearthed in New York, Bali, and Paris. Three continents, three extremely different trips:
the souvenirs’ multiple shapes are a mirror image of these varied travel experiences.
Rectangular standardized shapes with glitters, these Readymade-in-China are cheap,
standardized and useless.
MONKEY BUSINESS - 1983
Peanuts
Peanuts
Origin: Unknown
This is a very fragile piece that has been badly damaged with the years.
It was originally addressed to monkeys but the tourists seemed to enjoy it even more.
Mass consumed everywhere in the world, peanuts are the symbol of
never ending consumption.
DISILLUSION - 1994
"There is nothing to see"
"There is nothing to see"
Plastic snow globe
Origin: China
Without any image in it, this forever-fallen snow globe is a rare object. It is precisely because it is empty that it offers the possibility to imagine any scenery or monument inside. With this souvenir, the journey becomes both entirely conceivable and absolutely meaningless.
Once meant to be shaken to see the glitters swirl, this dream-in-a-box is now perfectly still. Motionless thus meaningless.
SEND A POSTCARD
Unlike normal postcards, the touristic dream is not promoted by an idyllic scenery or a mythical monument.
Here, it is something purely materialistic.
In this world lead by money, dreams belong to the ones who pay.
Here, it is something purely materialistic.
In this world lead by money, dreams belong to the ones who pay.
SEND A POSTCARD
The glitterypostcard offers a mass-producedalternative
togold and diamonds.A standardizedsham of luxury:mass tourism.
The dreampromoted by thetouristic industrywill always benothing but arepresentation of the truth. Itis never trulyaccessible...
You wish you werehere!
togold and diamonds.A standardizedsham of luxury:mass tourism.
The dreampromoted by thetouristic industrywill always benothing but arepresentation of the truth. Itis never trulyaccessible...
You wish you werehere!
Isn’t there nobetter key than auniversal creditcard
to openthe door to alldesires?
The all-includeddream is justwithin reach.
to openthe door to alldesires?
The all-includeddream is justwithin reach.
MEET THE LOCALS
The collector had the immense opportunity to meet locals and watch an ethnic village perform their traditional lifestyle in the human zoo they live in, completely untouched by our modern civilization.
Tiliwa (below) belongs to the Hadza ethnic group. He and his people are hunter- gatherers, and occasional heavy drinkers.
They still wear their traditional outfits whenever the guides pay them
to hide their watches and jeans to dance for the dumbfounded visitors.
Tiliwa (below) belongs to the Hadza ethnic group. He and his people are hunter- gatherers, and occasional heavy drinkers.
They still wear their traditional outfits whenever the guides pay them
to hide their watches and jeans to dance for the dumbfounded visitors.
TILIWA - BORN IN 1973
Hadza ethnic group
Hadza ethnic group
Hunter-gatherer
Origin: Tanzania (Africa)
Supposedly authentic and living traditions,
the locals are nothing but
standardized ever-smiling puppets.
WITTY-EAGLE - BORN IN 1969
Craft maker
Origin: Arizona (USA)
Always smiling and looking good,
the locals are great actors.
VISIT THE MONUMENTS
The authenticity and genuine character of touristic sites constantly stimulate our senses, with advertising signs for massages and car rental, and the tastiest local food delights –Mc Donald’s, pizzas and TexMex– provoking our delicate nostrils.
"Place monument here" - "Place name of country here"
Separate elements attachable with Velcro
Separate elements attachable with Velcro
Detail
This interactive poster with 6 destinations
invites the public to play with the elements to recreate
this authentic global scenery and be amazed
by how standardization makes things so easy.
THANK YOU FOR TRAVELLING WITH US
PLEASE COME AGAIN
