Hoarding, Collecting and Art

 Table of Contents:

Introduction: Hoarding Vs Society and Media, and the Psychology Surrounding it

Chapter I:

Section. I: How Does Hoarding Affect Us Within Society?

Hoarding & OCD

Abraham Maslow

Tracey Emin, My Bed, 1998

Section. II: The Increase of Hoarding In Our Everyday Life?

Michael Landy, Break Down, 2001

Consumption Overdose

Conclusion

Introduction: Hoarding Vs Society and Media, and the Psychology Surrounding it.

In this article we will be looking at a range of artist works, such as a quote from the French box office movie 'Micmacs' self directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and the sculptural work of Tracey Emin and her feature piece 'My Bed'. As well as the environmental aspect in which hoarding and collecting can affect us in our mundane lives. We will delve into the psychological and philosophical references such as 'Maslow theory of needs' and evident from the physical contributions, consumption and overconsumption within the current economic standards supported by statistical evidence.

Section. I: How Does Hoarding Affect Us Within Society?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines hoarding as a compulsive mental condition which makes a person keep a large number of things that are ‘not needed’ or ‘have no value’, a condition that is often ‘linked with depression and anxiety’. Both doctors and psychologists considered hoarding as a type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), were a person has obsessive and or compulsive behaviours that are out of a person's control. However, in recent times have realised that hoarding is Its own distinctive mental disorder in its own right.

Abraham Maslow is a United States psychologist that published the book titled ‘A theory of humane motivation’, around the reformed psychological theory of what motivates human beings, a question which great philosophers like Plato and Aristotle once questioned. 'Maslow’s Theory of Needs' relates to the divided 5 tier hierarchy model of human needs that can be sorted from low level working up to the high level, in order; psychological needs, safety and security needs, love belonging and social needs, esteem and self-actualization. People with the lack of these things will eventually have one or more ‘neurotic’ mental health problems such as anxiety or depression. 

The bowerbird accumulates - Sometimes at most alarming rates, Stashing treasure in a hoard; a habit that's to be deplored!.... "Garbage," is what I would say, that bird sees things a different way..... What I discard, the bird extols,.... I'm cleaning up the house today, which means, I'll throw things away. In the bin - Quick - shut the lid! - The Bowerbird by Kathryn Apel.

Hoarding, is it considered hoarding is considered a disorder by the media and is often wrongly used in context making many people not understand the severe effects and holding it has on people's lives.

Featured image: Tracey Emin, My Bed, 1998. Contemporary Installation. Image via Flickr. Tracey Emin, My Bed, 1998. Mattress, linens, pillows and objects, 31 x 83 x 92 1/8 in (79 x 211 x 234 cm).

‘My Bed’ was a large installation piece created by the 59 year old, British artist Tracey Emin in 1998, a pie created while drunk and depressed. The work shows an image after aa few days of a intoxicated emotional breakdown after a really bad breakup. Tracey saw the picturesque site of her distraught mind while admiring her bed, where she had mended her heart, and depicted it as art. A powerful piece seen as a strong ‘manifestation of vulnerability’ with the aid of balled up snotty tissues and permanent period stained clothes and bedding, and more. We can look at Tracey Emin’s ‘My Bed’ and make the connection as the viewer from the life of a hoarder and help us understand the conditions in which we have to survive in while dealing with the deep set in depression and lack of hygiene that comes with hoarding.

My Bed by Tracey Emin. Photograph: Prudence Cuming Associates, Tracey Emin, Saatchi Gallery.

Tracey Emin’s work really depicts a near accurate depiction of the general lifestyle that a severe hoarder may succumb themselves to however, just like the rumour that gained the piece so much attention, when the work was being moving from one exhibition to the other it was kept intact, until a cleaner came and tidied the bed of the exhibition piece thinking that the bed had been unmade therefore disrupting, and being destructive.

Bellow is an example of my own hoarding nest, the picture is of my studio space that many students and tutors are familiar with, to the point were my tutor is constantly asking me to lessen the mess in my space. As hoarding is a natural coping mechanism that derived from my childhood trauma (which was my entire adolescent years) it is a very hard habit to kick. So in response to being told to clear my stuff I changed my entire project to hoarding in order to have the ridiculous amount of junk in my studio space valid.

Khadijah K. O. Mumuni's studio space, UCA Farnham , January 17th 2023. Donated arm chair, boards, tables, bags and various objects.

Section. II: The Increase of Hoarding In Our Everyday Life?

‘Here, we collect, we sort out, we repair. Everyone does it.’ A line said from Yolande Moreau who played the character Tambouille/ Mama Chow, in the 2009 French movie Micmacs, written and directed by self-taught filmmaker, Jean - Pierre Jeunet.

Michael Landy, Break Down, 2001. An Artangel commission. Top photo by Patricia Taghizadeh; all other photos by Hugo Glendinning.

The work 'Breakdown' by Michael Landy was a piece dedicated to destroying all 7227 of his worldly possessions that he had accumulated throughout his years, in the Thomas Dane Gallery. The piece itself used conveyor belts to move, sort, catalogue and destroy all of Landy's belongings by workers dressed in blue boiler suits. The piece could be seen as a testament to the useless manufacturing that we are accustomed to, making a statement that we can live without possessions and clutter that the life of minimalist's find tolerable. Decluttering had been taken to a whole other extreme.

James Lingwood of Artangel (The original cofounder and now associate director of an organisation that works with artists.) says “it was more a quiet public dissection of possessions and what they are made-up of. It was a lifestyle being taken apart dissected and recycled.”

Michael Landy, Break Down, 2001. Commissioned and produced by Artangel. Photo: Parisa Taghizadeh © The Artangel Trust. All rights reserved.

We as a large community, overall, collect things every day extensively, some people collect things out of fear, the most recent example would be, COVID-19 and how namely shops were affected by being unable to provide the items necessary to quench the people's fear. The way we may be recluse to a life of hoarding, hoarding and isolation,

Art and Artifact: The Museum As Medium, by James Putnam published by Thames and Hudson said 'Artists one by nature collectors of both forms and images.'.

This quote names artists as natural hoarders, but does that mean only artists are hoarders, or does it refer to anyone who collects any form of art? Be it physical or digital? Hoarding is the act of collecting anything from clothes and shoes to childhood keepsakes to magazines, and food, digital items all the way to living organisms, such as animals like cats and dogs which is where we get the term cat lady from. Someone who collects, looks after a large amount of animals that can result in, severe cases, not tending to oneself.

Documentary: Breaking Down, 10 November 2015, Artangel

Consumption is to consume. The obsession of owning certain objects, in order to fulfill expected standards, within our materialistic community. Starting from a younger age, we are targeted by advertisers. We allow our greed to seep in and take over, and watch it slowly starts to take control of our everyday lives, as the industries profit. We get sat in front of a screen by our role models, allowing us to watch our favourite day time shows, only to be shown adverts (Clockwork Orange style) narrated by our favourite colourful characters, starring a diverse group of kids grinning from ear to ear while playing overwhelming loud music, flashing bright colours and cool fonts to reel us in.

Christopher Dombres, Overconsumption, 2015

We as the young and naïve generation then ask our shining examples (our parental guardians) who are just as susceptible to targeted ads as we are. Our parents then buy into our false excitement and buy us our, colourful pieces of cheap mass produced junk, that we ended up playing with for less than a minute before more adverts informed us our expensive “Toy” was now, far behind everyone else's model. The toy we were manipulated into believing we wanted became prehistoric within seconds, not even allowing a moment of enjoyment. Toys such as 'Sylvanian Families' and 'Funko POPS' marketed towards a younger audience, are both collection type toys that fully enable the hoarding lifestyle. In 2022 the toy industry alone grossed up GP£95.14 billion in Great British Pounds, growing exponentially by roughly 3.14% annually. Last year the total sale value was GP£3.5 billion , this was the United Kingdom alone.

Red Roof Country Home - Sylvanian Families - £59.47

Fast fashion, the movement of churning out cheap and low quality versions of fresh and upcoming fashion designs and trends, becoming passé at an alarming rate, allowing people to essentially hoard styles, as each trend can be categorised in same psychology as hoarding. Collecting refers to possessing multiple items as a hobby, to the point that it does not affect living areas, personal hygiene or social activities.

Because of our current industrial markets we have a lot more opportunities to overconsume. With the help of international online marketing services such as 'Amazon', 'Alibaba' and more, we have gained easy access to more. We as a society overproduce while understanding the consequences. Companies continuously profit through premeditated obsolescence by intentionally manufacturing cheap variables. Objects such as the iPhone's iOS becoming subsequently inconvenient the instance a new phone is released.

Hoarding and overconsumption are deeply intertwined with modern society's values and economic systems. Through the examination of artistic works and psychological theories, this article highlights the significant impact of these behaviors on individuals and society. By understanding the truth causes and effects, we can begin to address the challenges posed by hoarding and strive towards a more sustainable and mindful approach to consumption.