Holly Firkins

This project was inspired by the short story ‘The Subliminal Man’ written in 1963 by science fiction writer J.G. Ballard, in which the population’s consumer habits are controlled by subliminal advertisement signs. From this story, I wrote a television screenplay but adapted it with the core of it being a critique of corporate power in our food system. This project was in reaction to the research of Dr Chris van Tulleken in his book ‘Ultra-Processed People’ about ultra-processed food (UPF) and how UPF companies manipulate our food environment.In this 1970s retro-futuristic dystopia, the volume of advertising is suffocating to the extent that there are advertisement robots wondering around. But they aren't quite the fun and friendly robots they appear to be.

This adaptation of Hamlet is reimagined in an alternative dystopian toxic Earth, polluted, covered with oil, dark, industrial and often raining heavily with acid rain. Despite the ruined state of the world, war and struggle for power ensues, both between nations and within the royal curt. This interpretation highlights destruction in a cycle of vengeance and war.The silhouettes are inspired by late Victorian through to Edwardian but uses waxed materials, rubber, foam clay and bioplastic to create ceramic and glassy looking elements. These are all inspired by the materials used by artists Lee Bontecou and Louise Bourgeois.