Salt and Pepper Shakers With a Political Message, by Sebastian Errazuriz

Inspired by Occupy Wall Street and the art that has emerged from the movement, New York-based Chilean designed Sebastian Errazuriz recently unveiled "Drowning in Debt," a salt and pepper shaker set with a message of economic inequality.

 

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Errazuriz designs furniture and sculptures alike, as well as public art. For an upcoming project he hopes to display a video of himself yawning continuously on one of the giant screens in Times Square, spreading an epidemic of contagious awning throughout NY. He talked to iDesign about the inspiration for “Drowning in Debt,” and the symbolic value of salt and pepper.

“I try to incorporate existential elements into functional designs and a level of function and political responsibility into my art works. If you Google ‘Occupy Chairs,’ ‘Wall Street Nation’ or ‘American Kills’ you will get an idea of what I try to do. My sculptures and limited edition design-art pieces are sold by a gallery and generally purchased by art collectors. In parallel, I self-fund and finance my public art work with the sales of a few product designs that I do for certain mass production companies.”

“Like so many of us, these two humble workers have found themselves buried under an inescapable debt. Whether its debt or unemployment, these two little salt and pepper shakers humbly attempt to represent the struggle that is the sign of our times. As soon as the seasonings are used the two workers slowly emerge, only to find that they will soon be covered again.”

“The salt and pepper shakers are just a small exercise and I obviously don't expect them be taken seriously, but the salt and pepper in the shakers can represent both the debt most of us drown in and the fortunes a few bathe in.

“It’s coincidentally interesting to remember the word “salary” was derived from the word “salt.” Salt was highly valued and its production was legally restricted in ancient times, so it was historically used as a method of trade and currency. Pepper on the other hand is today just one of the most common of our spices but we forget that Columbus discovered America looking for a shorter way to get to the coveted Indian spices.”

“I am happy you like my new little salt and pepper shakers. I will be selling these through Kikkerland as a way to get some funds for the new public art works that I’m preparing.”