The political significance of patina as materialised time

Abstract

With reference to Grant McCracken’s seminal work on the eclipse of patina through consumerism, this article investigates the compensatory dynamics of contemporary consumption practices centred on novel items rather than on goods ‘with antiquity;’ how these dynamics are being resisted through certain forms of ‘curatorial consumption;’ and how such resistance is potentially political in orientation. After a consideration of the sixteenth-century origins of consumerism as an elite cultural practice, the focus of the article shifts both to the subsequent democratisation of this cultural trend, and to the accompanying deeply compensatory function of such popular consumerism. Yet, while many people continue to become inextricably caught up in such consumerism – in the vain hope that it will assuage the alienation endemic to the modern era – in the midst of our contemporary consumer society there also exist alternative forms of curatorial consumption. These manifest people’s appreciation for patina rather than the new, precisely because of the ability of patina to connect them to others through the long durée of human history. However, while such curatorial consumption evinces the continued presence of patina as an adversarial concept within the context of contemporary consumer society, it is also under siege from corporations that seek to co-opt it into the ambit of mainstream consumerism, by imbuing new goods with the veneer of the old. As will be argued, while the latter corporate move may produce short-term profit, in the long run, it stands to undermine the importance of patina as a potential remedial measure against the excesses of consumer society

Met verwysing na Grant McCracken se seminale werk oor die oorskaduwing van die patina deur verbruikersdruk, ondersoek hierdie artikel die vergoedende dinamika van eietydse verbruikspraktyke wat ingestel is op nuwe items eerder as op goedere met antikwiteitswaarde; hoe hierdie dinamika weerstaan word deur sekere vorms van kuratoriale verbruik; en in watter mate sulke verset potensieel polities van aard is. Na ‘n beskouing van die sestiende-eeuse oorsake van verbruikersdruk as ‘n elitistiese kulturele praktyk, verskuif die fokus van die artikel na beide die gevolglike demokratisering van hierdie kulturele verskynsel, asook na die verbandhoudende wesenlike kompenserende funksie van dergelike populêre verbruikersdruk. Alhoewel baie mense toenemend onlosmaaklik deel word van dergelike verbruikersdruk – met die vae hoop dat dit die vervreemding wat eie is aan die modern era gaan verdryf – bestaan daar midde-in ons eietydse verbruikersamelewing alternatiewe vorms van kuratoriale verbruik. Dit manifesteer in mense se waardering van patina eerder as die nuwe; juis vanweë die vermoë van die patina om hulle deur die lang durée van die menslike geskiedenis met andere te assosieer. Hoewel sulke kuratoriale verbruik die volgehoue teenwoordigheid van patina openbaar as synde ‘n opponerende konsep binne die konteks van die eietydse verbruikersamelewing, word dit terselfdertyd ondermyn weens die druk van korporasies wat daarop uit is om dit deel te maak van die hoofstroomverbruikersdruk, deur nuwe goedere te beleg met ‘n skyn van die oue. Soos aangetoon sal word, lei laasgenoemde korporatiewe skuif tot korttermynwinste, maar op die lange duur sal dit die belangrikheid van patina as ‘n moontlike herstelmaatreël teen die eksesse van die verbruikersamelewing ondermyn.