carrie m. becker: barbie trashes her dreamhouse
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carrie m. becker: barbie trashes her dreamhouse


'barbie trashes her dreamhouse' by carrie m. becker
(above) 'the teenager's bedroom', 2011
image © carrie m. becker


'barbie trashes her dreamhouse' by st.louis-based artist carrie m. becker is a series of photographs
capturing the doll's miniature world as a living environment of a hoarder. littered with old magazines,
newspapers, dirty dishes, old clothing, and cardboard boxes full to the brim, the highly-detailed 1/6th scale
models illustrate a collection of disturbingly realistic domestic spaces that have suffered from a neglectful
homeowner. with the exception of some repurposed generic barbie toys and furniture, the items captured
are all handmade by the artist to a painstakingly accurate level.

to see more images from the series, click here to visit becker's flickr page.



'the kitchen', 2011
image © carrie m. becker



'after the cleanup', 2011
image © carrie m. becker



'the bedroom', 2011
image © carrie m. becker



'the laundry room', 2011
image © carrie m. becker



'working from home', 2011
image © carrie m. becker



'working from home' at the mccoll center for visual art
image © carrie m. becker


via flavorwire

erica db
01.04.12  
8
this has nothing to do with barbie as almost nothing is pink
k   01.04.12
This is missing a vital component: Barbie

If the artist hadn't provided a description to accompany the photographs, I would have thought them some fairly unremarkable reportage. What would elevate the photos and render them interesting would be to include the doll within the scene. Its a really clever concept that hasn't been fully realised. The artist has missed trick, but its easily remedied.
Douglas   01.05.12
i think those pictures don't show the concept at all, i would love to see them in real life or at least with a reference like in the last picture! AWSOME work!!!
cj   01.05.12
Oh.Mygod.
It is perfection. And its an astonishing piece of work.
The title, I believe, is ironic, and it seems sad that designboon readers didn't get it.
A Barbie wanna-be, gone terribly terribly astray.
1/6th scale?
Obsessive, and a good place to put all those urges to horde...
I bow deeply to Madame Becker.
Pepper   01.05.12
I had assumed it would be filled with actual Barbie accessories at least! Amazing concept though!
JessieB   01.05.12
This artist's series absolutely blows me away. I think its one of the best series of miniature dioramas ever, due to its overlapping contexts.

Yes, Barbie no doubt becomes a hoarder, as she ages, would be dealing not only with the loss of her looks & figure, but also hanging on to all the physical mementos of her former celebrity stardom. Absolutely this art work not only relates what "Barbie" is to our own modern consumptive ways, but also is a chilling reminder of what happens to many collectors of things.

I relate to the imagery in many personal ways.
mary anne   01.05.12
wow. just. wow. i second what pepper says. i actually only clicked on the article because of the comment bar, and already at the 1st image i felt something, and then i read the text, and then scrolling through i am filled with a feeling of actual sickness. for this same idea. someone who was once young, who once maybe dreamed of growing up and being barbie, or at least like her being pretty or popular or successful or whatever. and then life and then the sadness of something you cannot control. what i am saying is not unique to hoarders but still touches me very much. what mary anne says about the relevence of the concept of consumption i hadn't thought of but is so true. i am impressed.
shidoh   01.05.12
Barbie vs Tracey Emin
Monty   01.06.12

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