Cartrageous! Shopping cart jewelry

Deanna McLaughlin

The shopping cart is the most iconic image of our consumer-based culture. The “Cartrageous” jewelry evolved from a single shopping cart which I had made into a chaise lounge in 2009. An exhibit with Design Philadelphia evolved into a furniture series originally intended to visually challenge the viewer to question and assess individual ideas about consumerism, power, and privilege. After the first pieces were shown, friends and strangers began bringing me abandoned carts. I’ve enjoyed the design challenge of taking one object and continually asking what else it could be. Repurposed materials are frequently used to add to the FUNctionality of each piece. Audiences are encouraged to interact with and sit in each of the large works. An extension of my large scale series, the jewelry has a light-hearted, playful sense to it. I like to create works of art that bring a smile to others when they wear, engage with or see it on view.