The gold cigarette
Ive spent along time unwell and out of the art world, I kind of hit a wall in regards to my project. I didn’t know how to expand my project and ideas, I really loved the protest side of my art. But the cigarette wall felt like it wasn’t achieving what I wanted, it had a point but didn’t go any further, I wanted something that was iconic, that was memorialised that would last, just like the cigarette butts. That’s when I had the idea to make gold butt. It takes the cigarette butt from poverty level to a high class piece of art, it’s value is raised and it’ will last as long as the cigarette butts on the beach. It could be an interesting look into consumerism and what makes us class something as disgusting, it’s still a cigarette butt, but now it’s gold, will people still like it?
The obvious problem with this idea is cost. I can’t afford gold, and if I could I wouldn’t be in university. So are alternatives going to be as effective? I think if I cast a butt and painted it it possibly could work but I think that it will be pretty obvious it isn’t gold. To find out I’m going to experiment. My idea is to try and make it a ‘trophy’ kind of effect.