Protection from the cold

Over the past couple of months I've been thinking a lot about my bag of foam. Certain things keep coming to mind. For instance, I find it odd that this package of foam was given to me in a help the aged bag - it just seems odd that a substance who's primary use is to protect fragile objects comes in a bag made for collecting objects to donate to a cause that serves to protect vulnerable people! Secondly, in my thorough research of this type of foam, a plastic of course, I have discovered that it has very limited purposes - in fact, I can find no other designated purpose for this material other than to protect things! This material represents the value that industry places on its off-spring, its children, if you like.
So there is a pressing theme of protection, but also technology, priority and value of human life over value of objects.
By the way the most valuable substance known to man - in terms of its exchange value as a commodity - is antihydrogen, which costs around $300 billion to produce one miligram. It has another name - Antimatter: the equal and exact opposite of matter - it looks like its counterpart, acts like its counterpart and consists of the same properties; but if antimatter touches matter you have one messy party on your hands and a source of energy that dwarfs our most powerful weapons in comparison.
Surely, though, our most precious resource is water, without which we don't survive. Or perhaps value is determined by circumstance - maybe we don't value lots of things. Maybe sometimes we have to create the opposite of what we value to achieve it.
Someone once said that Art is the absolute commodity because it is the image of the value, or rather that we cannot determine an exchange value for it because it represents a value that is not money.

The foam is itself a symbol of protection - one that can be expressed in many ways. There are many famous symbols of protection: St Christopher, a Cross, a Pentagon or even something as simple as a circle. However, that's too easy and a little bit twee if you ask me. I want this piece to symbolize protection and value and even perhaps business ethics. Perhaps I will highlight the original ideals of the bourgeoisie to measure their deviation from these ethics and values. What were they again? Something to do with Autonomy, Moral uprightness and family values, hard work etc. But these values are perhaps reversed by the identical repetitive, reproduceable nature of commodities by machines, and which some say is contributing to exploitation in the world of human work. It is us that need protecting from the gulping jaws of capitalist consumption as it strives for reduction and efiiciency to increase or maintain profits in a climate of ever-decreasing circles of resource. We place our hope in technology - the faithful advocate and accomplice of the commercial economy - one that could possibly relieve us all, protect us from our present fate! Foam is a very good insulator, don't you know!