Ectopia, Xy June Li

Subalterns cannot represent themselves but are often represented by others. This phenomenon is invisible but widespread in our society. It can also be observed in the supermarket. Among similar kinds of products, the cheap and low-quality ones are often found on the bottom shelves where there is always less light – it is difficult for them to get attention and to be grabbed by the costumers It is a comparable structure to our society. For me our society structure is comparable to a body, each group of people plays its role, like organs in an organism do. If they are displaced or mispositioned, it creates an ectopic phenomenon, then the organism may not function properly. In Ectopia, I designed eight products and labeled them with different subaltern groups, and put them on bottom shelves in a local supermarket. As a client, I record my odyssey to acquire these products.