Supply and Demand

The goal of billboards and advertising in general is to make something appear to be something other than what it is in reality, i.e. to make luxuries appear as necessities. This piece is my attempt to reverse engineer that principle and make a sign that showed what something really was instead of the illusion. The viewer first sees a gas pump and as they walk by the piece the image transforms into a gun. The truth is a gas pump is like a gun both physically and metaphorically. They are instruments at the base level by which power is gained and maintained. Guns can also represent many things such as violence, aggression, and coercion. Lobbyists are most certainly aggressive in the area of our nation’s legislation and policy. Shell oil's dealings in Africa is definitely an example of how violence can be perpetrated by business interests. Showing the gas pump as a gun along with the title "Supply and Demand" illustrates both the complex interactions that occur at the global level in the world of gaining and maintaining access to this resource, but also the lack of choice given to the consumer on whether or not to use this product.