“…on the one hand, theatre is presented as an essence which cannot be reduced to any language and reveals itself only to the heart, to intuition. From this quality, it receives an irritable dignity…On the other hand, bourgeois dramatic art rests on a pure quantification of effects: a whole circuit of computable appearances establishes a quantitative equality between the cost of a ticket and the tears of an actor or luxuriousness of a set: what is currently meant by the ‘naturalness’ of an actor, for instance, is above all a conspicuous quantity of effects.”-Barthes, Mythologies, p. 154
Assuming one understands how little fountains are a manifestation of an organic/natural simulacra, one must take the next investigative step of actually acquiring a little fountain.
Like a theater ticket, one can acquire a little fountain second hand. Reasons for the commodity’s sale include but are not limited to: disinterest, inconvenience, and the desire to benefit from relief of one’s burden.
Little fountains promise biological response without chemical intervention, one may be moved to tears or soothed to restful sleep but both can be bought at a reduced price.
Posted in: Collaborative Projects Blog.
