Through my body of work, I hoped to further explore certain aspects of Deleuze’s and Guttari’s theory of desire production, namely that desire can be made to desire its own oppression. Essentially Deleuze and Guttari suggest that as desire is a productive and tangible force, certain aspects of social structures such as capitalist and consumer culture can influence it. Deleuze and Guttari believe that capitalism attempts to control and structure desire, to turn it into a lack, thus forcing us to desire our own oppression. Whether or not this desire to self-destruct can be attributed to capitalist culture or not, I wanted to investigate deeper into do this idea destructive desire.
Destructive desire can come in many forms including, finding satisfaction in another’s failure, attraction to destructive forces such as fire and the desire to destroy one’s self. It is clear that society’s desire to see destructive forces has become increasingly popular. Recently the most successful film and television endeavors have been those that center on apocalypse, post apocalypse, natural disasters and science fiction in which an invading force destroys infamous landmarks and cities.
There are many suggestions as to why humans seem to have an innate desire for destruction. It is often considered that we are attracted to the disorder destruction can cause. We tend to enjoy seeing major cities and landmarks being destroyed because it gives a sense of perspective, demonstrating the way in which structures that take years to create can be destroyed in a matter of minutes. Similarly, we seem to be attracted by the instant and profound energy created through the act of destruction. For example breaking a valuable object is instantaneous, giving an immediate sense of gratification. Destruction is often an impulsive act; something induced by the present, thus giving us a sense of release and therapy, as during that moment the past and future are not contemplated.
The reasons as to why we enjoy destruction are still widely discussed and perhaps most specifically the desire to self-destruct. This work aims to focus on this notion of self-destructive desire, often seen as a manifestation of mental illness. In psychoanalytical terms there is still a lot unknown regarding this, seemingly common desire to self-destruct. Freud suggests that humans possess a “death drive.” The death drive is that which inspires a person to return to a state of unconsciousness before birth, to become inorganic and inanimate again.
This body of works seeks to encompass these ideas of self-destructive behavior as well as the pleasure received from viewing the destruction of valuable objects. Thus, I chose to use slow motion footage of a laptop being physically destroyed. I used slow motion in order to create a beauty and aesthetic, highlighting the enjoyment experience when viewing the destruction of an object. The music was added to add to this sense of beauty as well as distance the viewer from the act of destruction whilst also creating a sense of ceremony. Additionally the slow motion enabled the intricacies of the destruction to be seen, offering a perspective not always available to human eye, hopefully making the experience more intriguing and enjoyable to view. This is enhanced by the accompaniment of the photographs of the destroyed laptop.
As I was creating this work, the computer began to represent a sense of self, triggering my exploration into the notion of self-destructive desire. The computer has become an increasingly major part of our lives, particularly for young people who often feel pressured to join social media. Social media for many individuals becomes a self-representation as well as sense of identity. Social media often facilitates the desire for self-destruction through the constant exposure to ideas of self-improvement and often the ridicule by others. Additionally, these online platforms have increased the cases of mental illnesses among young people including, depression, anxiety and eating disorders, which seem to be the main trigger for self-destructive desires and behavior. This links back to Freud’s theory of the “death drive,” the desire to escape or destroy one’s external and material life, returning to a state of unconsciousness.
The simplicity of the works was intentional however, as to allow for the various individual readings into what these visual works could represent in terms of destructive desire.
Belsey, Catherine. 1993. 'Desire In Theory: Freud, Lacan, Derrida'. Textual Practice 7 (3): 384-411. doi:10.1080/09502369308582173.
The Two Basic Rules That Make Them So Addictive'. YES! Magazine. http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/why-we-love-stories-about-mass-destruction.
Freud, Sigmund. 1991. On Metapsychology. London: Penguin Books.
Goodchild, Philip. 1996. Deleuze And Guattari. London: SAGE.
rg/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/march-2014/the-rise-of-self-destructing-social-media.
Kurt Cobain - Destroying Guitars And Amps. 2012. Video. IMatrixSooClose's channel.
Owens, Lewis. 2003. Creative Destruction. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press.
Writing for Life,. 2015. 'Social Media: Self-Development Or Self-Destruction?'. https://tracybrighten.wordpress.com/portfolio/social-media-self-development-or-self-destruction/.
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