Saturday Town Exhibition Review

In a world where access to information online is greater than ever, it can also produce

other restraints, is more always better? And can consumerism by making us want more,

play a role in controlling our freedom in our ability to self-express instead?

Casey Orr- “Fashion and bodily self-expression are important and powerful tools for us

all, to state who we are beyond consumerism and capitalism”.

In response to the ever-changing retail department, Casey Orr in "Saturday Town”

explores self-expression through inclusivity in her vibrant series of portraiture, dressed

in diverse fabrics and styles, combined with a singular colour vibrant background each

photo produces a sense of a unique identity. The viewer is then free to make their

interpretation of the individual, whether it is the person who creates this identity or is it

the clothing and accessories themselves.

By combining and altering different styles of hair or clothing people can adapt different

tribe identities and express values, which can be seen as a luxury we only happen to

have in the recent century. Back in the past limitations like status and financial income

limited people's ability to self-express and try on different identities.

However, what could be argued now is that our new consumerism-driven society pushes

us to buy more and have more, where people are fixated on buying things they don't

need, without really questioning the influence of branding and the market on our desire

to shop and buy for more.

The consumerism-driven society also links to other issues like climate change and forced

child labour, therefore adding a need for a shift in our society’s values of “more being

better”, where people are eventually reduced to what, and how much they own.

Reducing the need and the importance we find in increasing our possessions could have

a positive effect on everyone, allowing people to spend more time being creative in

altering their existing wardrobe and enjoying what they already have.

Sam Patton and the “Room to Breathe” dedicated to celebrate the quiet moments of

joy, can be a great example of how going out, dressing up and always working and

purchasing products is great, nevertheless the moments where we can slow down, and

breath are just as important and can be crucial in a world influenced by social media.

In conclusion as a society, we should aim to be able to enjoy the privileges provided to

us in the 21st century, of self-expression and the freedom of being able to purchase

anything at any time thanks to the technology. However, we should also be able to

incorporate a mindset to be able to reflect on what we already own, resulting in a better

financial and emotional state of well-being.