vienna

are separated by what Goffman has defined as “frame”. What is
said on the stage is not part of our reality. In his example of an
actor who wanted to warn the audience of an outbreak of fire but
failed to do so because his warning was enacted on the stage,
the action was not part of the real, burning world. The show
window is not a theatre stage. What is performed there shapes
our reality in the consumer world and proclaims truth.
“Rituals are not merely in the service of power; they are themselves
powerful because, as actions, they live from their power
of assertion. Whoever wishes to ritualise actions must also
be prepared to implement them. He or she must ensure that the
actions are implemented and recognised despite resistance or
lack of understanding. Ritual knowledge is knowledge that has
asserted itself.” 133
Successful ritual knowledge is the reason why consumer
rites like Father’s Day or Mother’s Day live so long; it is not a
penetration into our personal thoughts by means of motivational
research, as Packard argued, 134 but merely the transfer of basic
human needs from the social dimension into the responsibility of
consumer culture.
The Sales Window
Today, the show window is a place where many disciplines
come together. Several specialists are involved in designing the
appearance of contemporary show windows. The common
denominator in architecture, art, design, graphic, marketing
and advertisement is that their contributions jointly create
an aesthetic experience in the show window. Commercialised
aesthetics has the task of fulfilling a commercial function
133 Belliger/Krieger (1998:28-9)*.
134 Packard (1968:216).
The
Death
of
Fashion 47