Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Anderson, Kim

Area of Concentration

Art

Abstract

The CDC reports an increase of United States citizens taking at least one prescription drug by 7.8% from 1994 to 2014.* Sugarcoat, a multimedia art installation, calls into question the commodification, standards for normalcy, and desire fueling the pharmaceutical industry and advertising. Through colorful pill-inspired imagery, my work critiques consumerist conditions contributing to a blind trust in and dependency on both advertisements and medication. Through collective denial we sugarcoat our own realities, masking deeper sociological undercurrents. In reference to our massive daily absorption in social media and the corporatization of the individual, Sugarcoat invokes nostalgic associations to the candy store in ways that confront a media-driven culture sedated by prescription drug use. * National Center for Health Statistics, “Health, United States, 2016: With Chartbook on Long-term Trends in Health,” Hyattsville, MD, 2017. Table 79. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus16.pdf#079.

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