artwork > Merchandise

Inspired by the song “Merchandise” by Fugazi, this reconstructed shipping container examines the systems of production, consumption, and global circulation that shape contemporary life. Built entirely from reclaimed pallet wood, the work transforms the discarded infrastructure of commerce into a one-of-a-kind object, reversing the logic of mass production from which it emerged. Pallets and shipping containers have become essential yet largely invisible technologies, enabling the movement of goods across vast distances while expanding the scale of human consumption. By repurposing these materials into an enclosed architectural form, Merchandise shifts attention from the products being transported to the systems that move them. Entering the structure, viewers encounter a sense of confinement and dislocation, blurring the distinction between consumer and commodity. The work asks what remains after the transaction is complete, and whether, within these networks of exchange, we have become another form of merchandise ourselves.