Author: Influencing Machine
Title: Consumer
Summary: An artist becomes the victim of her own artwork.
Keywords: mc, mf, md, 
Language: English

"Consumer"
by Influencing Machine

MC, MF, MD

Disclaimer: This story is adult in nature, but written from the viewpoint that 
the mind is the strongest erotic zone. It is therefore not suitable for the 
easily offended, or those wanting out and out porn.

(1)

³Consumer² by Katherine Heath at the Marlowe Galleryı.  She read the poster, 
still not quite able to believe it.  It was her first solo show and Kathy was 
hiding her nerves with difficulty. The gallery was small but in the hip part of 
town and a good crowd had come.  She felt as if she was being professional as 
she networked, but she still had a nagging fear that she was drunk and making a 
fool of herself.  Sheıd have to check with her friends in the morning.  The work 
looked good in the space: a dentistıs chair with clinical looking restraints, 
surrounded by a hive of technology pumping hypnotic images, sounds and 
suggestions at an invisible subject.  Viewers were invited to use the seat, but 
no-one had taken up the offer.

Kathy was getting sick of smiling and hearing how clever the work was from 
people whoıd forget it the next day, so she was relieved to see someone actually 
looking at the work with a degree of interest.  She watched him out of the 
corner of her eye for a while as she spoke to her friend Claire.  The man was an 
artist she vaguely recognised from a private view a few weeks before, Jack 
something.  He watched the screens until they looped, laughing slightly from 
time to time at the more outrageous suggestions or warped slogans.

Kathy sauntered over.  ³Like it?² she asked.

³Sure.  Did you do it?²

³Yeah.  Itıs about - ²

³I can see what itıs about.  Itıs very erotic.²

She was thrown - it wasnıt something her work had been called before.  ³Oh ... 
right.  Want to try it out?²

He laughed.  ³Not really, itıd probably make me buy it.²  He looked at her 
sideways.  ³Have you tried it?²

³Of course, I had to get everything lined up right.²

³Any good?²

³What do you mean?²

³Did it turn you on?²

She was flustered, but managed to laugh in a suitably ironic manner.  ³I guess 
it is a bit fetishistic, but itıs not about that, itıs more to do with how 
consumer culture uses our desires to -²

³Yeah, yeah, I said I got it, but, yıknow, it seems like itıs quite ... 
personal, too.  Like you really understand what itıs like to be controlled, 
manipulated, ... and enjoy it.²

³Really?²  She kept her face blank, not sure how much to say.  She kew her work 
had obvious overtones, but wasnıt used to having to discuss how much it related 
to herself.  She was also trying to ignore the way his words had made her feel.  
No matter how she tried to hide it, certain words made her aroused, particularly 
when said by an attractive man looking deeply into her eyes.

³Yeah, but thereıs nothing wrong with that,² he continued.  ³You should 
publicise it more, the pressıd love it, youıd be as rich as Emin in a year.²

³Yes, well, Iıll think about it,² Kathy said frostily and started to walk off.

³Hey, hey, donıt go.  Iım sorry, Iım a bit pissed and I got a bit cheeky.²  He 
seemed genuinely apologetic, ³I just got carried away, but I think youıre really 
interesting.²

She was slightly salved by the flattery, but kept her voice cold.  ³Interesting, 
is that the best you could come up with?²

³Yeah, I know it sounds crap, but I mean it: youıre saying something, it looks 
good and itıs sexy.²

³Well, write about it in a decent art magazine and Iıll forgive you.²  She had 
already started to, despite herself his joshing had intrigued her, and he was 
really cute...

³Does my work turn you on then?² she asked casually.

³Hang around with me after everyoneıs gone, and Iıll show you,² he said 
mysteriously.  They both laughed, but shared a look that suggested it was not a 
joke.  Trying not to show  obvious interest, Kathy continued with a more general 
conversation about art, recent shows and life in general.  Jack seemed pretty 
cool, she found herself warming to him despite her wariness.  He was funny and 
somehow always seemed to say things that she agreed with.

After a while, Kathy realised her attention had drifted and sheıd just been 
looking into his eyes without really hearing what heıd been saying.  She shook 
herself, thinking how she must be more drunk than sheıd realised.

³Look, Iıd better go and talk to some other people, but itıs been great meeting 
you.²

³Yeah, sorry if I offended you at first.²

³Offended?² she was puzzled, and couldnıt remember what heıd said that could 
have been offensive.  ³No, donıt worry about it,² she said, hedging her bets, 
³See you soon.²

³Yes, Iım sure you will²

Soon Kathy was busy schmoozing some more, but not so busy that she didnıt keep 
looking for him.  Somehow he seemed to have vanished into the crowd, and Kathy 
found herself feeling disappointed.

Claire came over after a while.  ³You were talking to Jack for ages!² she said.  
³Was he trying to pull you?²

³Yeah, I sıpose so,² she answered vaguely.

³Heıs meant to be a bit weird.  My mate went out with him a few years ago.  He 
used to talk all sorts of crap in bed apparently.²

³Yeah?²  Kathy hoped she didnıt sound too interested.  She found herself 
incredibly keen to find out just what he did in bed, but tried to cover it up as 
best she could.

³Yeah.  She said it used to bore her to sleep sometimes, but he has got a nice 
arse.²

³Definitely!²  Kathy tried not to think about Jack talking softly to her until 
she felt sleepy and suggestible...



(2)



When everyone had gone, Kathy realised that she was fiddling around with the 
cups for too long before shutting down and locking up, wondering if Jack would 
turn up.  She shook her head, feeling stupid, wishing sheıd just asked him for a 
drink sometime.  She moved over to her installation to turn everything off when 
her phone beeped, telling her that she had a text.



³get in the chair²



She looked around, breathing harder at the dubious thrill of being stalked.  It 
must be Jack, but how had he got her number?  She soon realised that practically 
everyone whoıd been there would have it if theyıd bothered to pick up her 
business cards.  So maybe it wasnıt him...



Her phone beeped again:  ³now²



She didnıt recognise the number but replied anyway.  ³where r u?²


Beep: ³get in the chair²

Well, what harm could it do?  She complied with the command, telling herself it 
might make her texter show their face at last, and ignoring the dampness that 
had appeared between her legs.  Nothing happened for a minute or so and she 
began getting bored.  She settled back in the chair, yawning slightly.  Of 
course it could just be a practical joke from someone down the pub.  It was 
probably nothing to worry about: sheıd just have a final watch of the videos to 
check everything was OK for the next day and go.  She stared blankly at images 
sheıd seen hundreds of times before as she was editing them: swirls, watery 
ripples, soothing colours.  She felt herself drifting of a little and shook 
herself - shit!  They didnıt actually work did they?  It was getting late and 
she wanted to leave, but for some reason she kept sitting there, and relaxing, 
and sitting there.

Hang on, that wasnıt one of her videos!  She couldnıt quite make out the text, 
it kept fading in and out, and sheıd get distracted by something else.  Come to 
think of it, quite a lot of the videos seemed different, similar to her style, 
but different images, different suggestions.  Some of the audio was definitely 
not hers either - a mans voice, too quiet to hear the words.  Part of her mind 
screamed that she had to get up, had to turn everything off, someone was fucking 
with her; but the rest of her mind seemed to be getting more and more lethargic, 
happier to sit and watch the screens.  Every time she tried to do something, it 
drifted out of her head before she could move, and was replaced with something 
else, more interesting.  What was it she was going to do again?  Finally she 
could make out one of the suggestions, it seemed to be all around her, in every 
voice, on every screen: Sleep.  Yes of course, she thought with relief, thatıs 
what she should do...

She knew she was asleep, only it seemed as if she was still watching the 
screens, but that wasnıt possible was it?  She struggled to understand, but then 
a voice spoke clearly through the soothing babble.  

³...youıre sleeping now, and dreaming, you donıt need to worry about whatıs 
happening, because itıs only a dream...² 

That made sense.  It was just one of those dreams that pick up on what youıve 
been doing before you fall asleep.  

³... sleeping and dreaming, and seeing your thoughts on the screens...² 

Really?  That was interesting.  Kathy looked at the screens, wondering what 
thoughts sheıd see on them.  She certainly seemed to be having a lot of thoughts 
about sex, but that wasnıt unusual, especially in her sleep.  She felt herself 
getting aroused as she watched, but too relaxed to do anything about it.  It 
didnıt seem important, but strangely helped her to understand that she should 
just accept whatever happened without question.  It was a real weight off her 
mind not to have to worry about what she was thinking, but just see it in front 
of her.  Her desires and fantasies seemed so much more real and compelling on 
the screens than when they were hidden away inside her head.  It was even as if 
these thoughts about them were coming from outside of herself, and her head was 
becoming more and more empty as the images poured in.  

Kathy recognised the woman in the images as herself, but couldnıt quite make out 
the man.  Was it Jack?  She thought so but couldnıt be sure.  Every time she saw 
his face, all she could concentrate on was his eyes, all other details melted 
away.  Perhaps this had something to do with the two screens directly in front 
of her that each showed only an eye, staring unblinkingly at her.  Soon it 
seemed too much effort to turn her head and watch all the versions of herself 
fucking, and made more sense to just gaze blankly forward and be stared at by 
the screen eyes.  It didnıt matter if she thought she was missing something, a 
voice told her, it would all be in her mind because these were her thoughts.  As 
she lazily watched the faint spirals in the eyes rotate, the voice told her more 
things that were already in her mind: where to go when she heard the word, what 
to do when she heard the word, how to feel when she heard the word.  The word: 
she was straining for it, longing for it, desperate for the release it would 
bring her, for the new identity it would give her.  Her arousal built every time 
the message was pumped into her until she was completely open, completely 
receptive, and at last there it was: in her ears, on every screen, burning 
through her body with the most powerful orgasm of her life, taking away her 
ability to resist and replacing it with deep obedience.


(3)


Kathy woke up and realised that the screens were all showing static.  Thatıs 
funny, werenıt the videos on repeat play?  Oh well, she mustıve dozed off after 
drinking too much.  But wasnıt there something else?  She couldnıt be bothered 
to think about it.  She turned off everything and locked the gallery behind her.  
No point in going to meet everyone if she was that tired, time to go home.  Her 
phone beeped.  Probably a text asking where sheıd got to.  She scrolled the 
message down.

³consumer²

Kathyıs eyes glazed slightly for a second, as an unconscious orgasm swept 
through her.  Of course, she remembered now: she wasnıt going to go home, there 
was something else she had to do...


