InBetween Exhibition

How can we distinguish what we want and what we need? Since Maslow created his hierarchy of needs in the 1930s our consuming culture has exploded, making it easier and cheaper to get what we want, resulting in us wanting more, creating more waste in our lives, waste of time, money and self. This greedy ‘want want want’ attitude occupies us in a huge way, overtaking our needs creating a distorted triangle of needs.

We want and we need. We don’t just need. We don’t just want. But what is inbetween? The want occupies us at the same time as occupying so much space around us. Our needs are always there, the ‘anti-space’ that surrounds us. But where are we comfortable?

Every individual and culture has differing wants and needs, but we all have an inbetween. This inbetween space is away from greed and obsession with possession, simultaneously away from restriction and limitation to a space within ourselves and our environment were we belong. 

This exhibition journeys through these emotional stages that occupy our lives and time beginning from the want to the need towards the Inbetween space where we can reflect and realise. 

Peoples wants, needs and the 'in-between'

In the Western World, we become obsessed with possessions and 'stuff'. We become obsessed with what we look like. We become obsessed with having things, thinking that it will make us feel better about ourselves.

Maslow's Heiracy of Needs

We often become obsessed with our 'wants', which can result in neglecting our 'needs'. Maslow's heirachy of Needs can become mutated and distorted, where wants take priority over primary needs such as sleep and food. For example, people want to be skinnier and skinnier, sometimes starving themselves, damaging health, all to 'look good' and 'be happy'. But does this make them happy? No.

Are we becoming Barbie stuck in our box?

People become a product. We buy ourselves, sell ourselves like one of the rest, and our individuality can be lost. We become human barbies. We become mass-produced. We lose our sense of self-worth.

In our consuming culture, we can lose who we are, becoming trapped 'in a box', not seeing the bigger picture of lives and the world.

Investigation into peoples' 'wants' and 'needs' has shown me individuals needs and wants are completely different from one person to the next, and suggest we all need some needs and some wants to keep us content. In terms of spatial design, we have called this the 'in-between space' - a happy medium space, different for everyone but sharing common ground. With my partner, Toby, we are currently designing an exhibition based on this space.

(This post is stereotypical Consumer Culture in the Western World.)