George Walker: Bernay's Burger (detail)

BERNAYS’ BURGER, 2003 29 x 27 x 18 cm Ceramic, slips. Teapot

Edward Bernays was the nephew of Freud. He was the pioneer of American PR and modern propaganda techniques. From the 1920s he used the theories of mass psychology and political persuasion to convince people that it was patriotic to buy certain goods. This was the start of consumer society where people were encouraged to spend endlessly. Bernays has since been called “the father of spin”.

Bernays’ influence is shown by placing the characters on top of a cheese burger – a symbol of global business. The man with a gun emerging from his head symbolizes the power of global advertising. The mother is so in thrall to what is being advertised, that she willingly hands her baby over to big business (the man with a cigar and a rat’s tail).