In 2001, British artist Michael Landy addressed excess consumerism and waste, by destroying all his possessions in an art project called “Break Down”. In the 3 years leading up to this event, every single one of his 7227 possessions was carefully classified and catalogued. The 2 week performance installation took place in a disused department store in central London. The inventory lists of everything that belonged to him were pasted on the walls of the store. In the centre of the shop stood a conveyor belt carrying Landy’s possessions, which were taken apart by assistants and classified into their basic materials for recycling. It included everything from a stereo to his Saab, his own and other’s artworks, photos, love letters, his father’s sheepskin coat. At the end Landy owned nothing apart from the boiler suit that he had been wearing throughout the project.
How much of our identity is defined by the things we own? We are attached to our belongings, we find a sense of safety and emotional comfort in them. One can imagine parting with every day objects fairly easily perhaps, but it is our bond with the possessions that have sentimental value, that remind us of our connections with people, that hold memories, that most of us would find very difficult to let go of willingly. I wonder if this was the reason it took Landy 3 years to catalogue all of his belongings before parting with them?
What would happen if we started again with nothing….? Our relationship with things, food, people can be a distraction from what is truly happening inside. Would we take the opportunity to re-invent ourselves?
Here is a link to a video documenting “Break Down.”