You won‘t believe | Mona Gutheil | 2024

You Won‘t believe 

What do special offers and cat pictures, celebrity affairs and crazy clickbait headlines have in common? They are all popular bait for the most valuable commodity in the all-dominant media landscape, our attention. Because attention, unlike money and material possessions, cannot be saved or increased. It is limited – and that makes it
enormously valuable.
This may be the reason why tricks and deceptions flourish in the age of the internet and social media. “Clickbaits” are designed to get visitors to look, listen, engage – and, of course, buy something in the end.
In my Bachelor’s project, I want to consciously play with the manipulation of attention so that the viewers have to deal with various problems.  Behind each of the stereotypes I portray, is social criticism and satire of our consumer culture. In my design philosophy form always follows Funktion, acting as a synonym to how our society
unconsciously follows the media landscape at all times.
My starting point is always a mobile object and the reference clothing associated with it. All designs are multifunctional as well as transformable and can therefore be worn in at least two ways – with and without the object – This also creates a performative level.
My accessories often feature repurposed gadgets or gimmicks. I always had interest in exploring the field between function and dysfunction. It is incredibly exciting, as on the one hand, gadgets promise a function, but actually they are superfluous after a few times of
use. I find it fascinating to put them in a different context and therefore give them back their intended value.