Consumption of Desire

As Walter Benjamin put it, “The true collector loves things, fondles them as emblems that promise memory and knowledge about circumstances of production.” I am not a true collector; I leave the true collector to the professionals. Some professional and true collectors take residence in museums, institutions, and government. Within these structures, their collection becomes valuable. Within museums, the true collector fondles things, these things exude a promise of memory and knowledge. Things by virtue of being things are made, created, and therefore produced. Thing’s circumstance of production reflects the consumers (of produced things).

But what (or whose) memory does the museum/institution/government promise? Are the true collectors assembling the objects that create our perceived notion of the past, i.e. memory? Are the true collectors sowing the seed of knowledge?

To each question there is no sweet, simple answer. By expression of desire we have objectified ourselves by objectifying our memory. Memory by definition is the ability to retain knowledge. If objects recall our knowledge than surely we must collect as many objects as possible in order to preserve knowledge and perhaps even increase our knowledge…

We consider ourselves part of a consumer society- however I am beginning to think that instead of being consumers, we are being consumed… consumed by our desires.