By hyperbolizing the ideas of Situationism - a French artistic movement from the mid-20th century - we are mocking how explicitly the ‘cult of the product’ is expressed today,” says Cozek. According to him, the “society of the spectacle” described by Guy Debord has now reached acolossal scale, infiltrating all areas of life. “The video is imbued with ironic cult-like motifs: the ‘sermon’ employs ritualistic symbolism, but not around sacred objects, rather around products.”
By looking at the desire for possession as a form of worship, it becomes evident, according to A.D.E.D., that in a broader sense, products have taken the place of spirituality. “Today, overproduction is everywhere: not only do factories churn out thousands of items daily, but people also create hundreds of thousands of pieces of content each day to stimulate consumption,” says Mikhail. “However, we believe that limitations can be beneficial: “To grow, you need to cut.”
Yet this leads to a trap that’s easy to fall into: “In the world of consumption, the refusal to consume often disguises a ‘need’ to buy a product that signals to society that you’ve rejected the worship of products.” Such imitation of critical thinking is ervasive, as “everyone tries to numb omnipresent anxiety with overconsumption.”
Through their video, A.D.E.D. sharply and mockingly satirize the fact that ownership often becomes a symbol of exclusivity or - using the terms of the video - a “symbol of salvation.” “The world pushes us towards overconsumption and the desire to play a role in the spectacle, but is that truly what we want?”
